But it will come at the expense of up-and-coming Australian tennis players, with one of eight existing wildcards reserved for Australian hopefuls to go instead to winners of the new tournament, to be held next month in Nanjing, China. The wildcards will be up for grabs for both the men's and women's singles tournaments.

Tennis Australia is hoping to build on the attention Chinese tennis ace Li Na received back home during her breakthrough run to the women's final in Melbourne last year.

Television audiences in China reached 135 million for tournament, up from 59 million the previous year.

Audiences dropped off this year after the 30-year-old, currently ranked eighth in the world, bowed out in the fourth round. But Tennis Australia spokeswoman Prue Ryan said there was a surge in interest from Japan in the men's draw as rising star Kei Nishikori reached the quarter-finals – underlining the decision to allow more Asian players to make the main draw in Melbourne.

Announcing the tie-up in Beijing as part of a visit to bolster trade ties with China, Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu posed with a relaxed-looking Li Na with the Australian Open women's trophy.

“It's the first time the Australian Open has expanded into Asia and certainly the first time it has expanded into China,” he said.

Li told reporters she had a great affinity for Melbourne.

“It was when I first reached the Australian open final [in 2011] that I believed I could win a grand slam,” she said.

Li went on to win the French open later that year, becoming the first Chinese player to win a grand slam.

The Australian open also has reciprocal wildcard agreements with the US and French Opens.

The reporter travelled to China as a guest of the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry.