WATCH: Zheng Qinwen all smiles as she bumps into Novak Djokovic at Australian Open, shares a high five with her 'idol'

Zheng Qinwen was in sublime form during her fourth-round match at the Australian Open on Monday (January 22), swatting aside France's Oceane Dodin 6-0, 6-3. The Chinese ran into her 'idol' Novak Djokovic in the players' tunnel the following day.

Zheng is has looked sharp on the court in Melbourne this fortnight. Although the 21-year-old went three sets against two of her opponents in the first week, she hit top gear against the unseeded Oceane Dodin to reach her second consecutive Major quarterfinal.

On Tuesday (January 23), the 12th seed was captured by the backstage cameras going towards her locker room with her racket bag, during which Novak Djokovic caught her eye. While the Chinese star was likely coming back from a practice hit, the Serb was getting ready for his last-eight clash against Taylor Fritz.

Zheng and Djokovic exchanged high-fives before having a short conversation that couldn't be picked up by the microphones on-site.

This is the second time the two players have interacted this month. Earlier in January, the 24-time Major winner had crashed Zheng Qinwen and Zhizhen Zhang's press conference following their 0-3 loss to Team Serbia at the United Cup. Djokovic even waved at Zheng before leaving, which prompted her to shout:

"Idol! Please don't go! I haven't got your signature yet!"

Zheng Qinwen will face the unseeded Anna Kalinskaya for a place in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open. She will be eager to overturn the 0-1 head-to-head record against the Russian, who beat her at the 2022 Guadalajara Open.

Zheng Qinwen makes back-to-back quarterfinals at Grand Slams

Zheng Qinwen reacts after reaching the last eight at the 2024 Australian Open

Zheng Qinwen had plenty of success on the women's tour in 2023. The 21-year-old won 35 of her 54 matches, winning two titles - in Italy and China - and finishing as the runner-up at the year-ending WTA Elite Trophy.

The Chinese also had an impressive campaign at last year's US Open, scoring an upset win over 2022 finalist Ons Jabeur in the fourth round. She succumbed to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka in her first-ever Major quarterfinal appearance.

Zheng, who reached a career-high ranking of 13 earlier this month, can take pride in her recent surge. The 21-year-old had started her 2023 WTA tour season on the cusp of the top 30 but now finds herself on the verge of making her top-10 debut.