Zheng Qinwen becomes first Chinese woman since former World No. 1 Li Na to reach Olympics singles QF after beating Emma Navarro at Paris 2024

Zheng Qinwen recently became the first Chinese woman since former World No.1 Li Na to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics. Zheng defeated America's Emma Navarro to secure her spot in the last eight in Paris.

This year marks Zheng's debut at the Games. Seeded sixth in the tournament, she began her campaign with a sensational 6-0, 6-0 win over Italy's Sara Errani. In the second round, the World No.7 added to her winning streak, defeating Arantxa Rus 6-2, 6-4.

Most recently, Qinwen overcame 11th seed Emma Navarro 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-1 in three hours and 12 minutes in the third round to secure her spot in the quarterfinals.

With her win over Navarro, Zheng became only the second Chinese woman to reach the last eight at the Olympics since Li Na, who did it in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2008, Li Na had defeated third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ayumi Morita in the first and second rounds respectively. She then won against Kaia Kanepi to advance to the quarterfinals

Li Na then went on to defeat the legendary Venus Williams in the quarterfinals. She eventually lost to sixth-seed Russian Dinara Safina in the semis. Li Na also missed out on the bronze medal after falling to ninth-seed Vera Zvonareva with a score of 0-6, 5-7.

Zheng Qinwen will face Angelique Kerber in the Paris Olympics 2024 quarterfinals

Zheng Qinwen could make history in Paris (IMAGE: GETTY)

Zheng Qinwen will face former World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Kerber entered the Games by using her protected ranking. She defeated Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in the first round. The German then triumphed over Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the second.

She most recently overcame 16th seed, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, 6-4 6-3 in the third round. This helped her advance to the quarterfinals where she will go up against Zheng.

Qinwen and Kerber have faced each other just once on the WTA Tour. Their sole matchup came in the second round of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where Kerber defeated Qinwen 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Kerber's campaign at Indian Wells ended when she lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.

Qinwen will fancy her chances against the German this time around. She's in top form coming into the Olympics and has a chance to make history for China with a singles medal at the Games this year.