Zheng Qinwen has the chance to make history on Saturday by becoming China's first Olympic tennis singles gold medalist. She will face Croatia's Donna Vekic on the same court where her childhood inspiration, Li Na, made history 13 years ago.

The 21-year-old Zheng has had a rollercoaster week in Paris, with two back-to-back three-hour matches leading to her semi-final, where she ended Iga Swiatek's 25-match win streak in Paris. Zheng previously saved a match point against Emma Navarro in the third round and came back from 1-4 down in the deciding set of her quarter-final against former world number one Angelique Kerber.

Despite criticism from Navarro for her "cut-throat" attitude, Zheng remains focused on her goal. "I'm so happy that I can make this history for Chinese tennis," said Zheng. "But I know the fight is not over. I don't want to stop here."

Zheng looks up to Li Na, who became China's first Grand Slam champion at the French Open in 2011. Li's historic victory was a major inspiration for Zheng, who was eight years old at the time. "She inspired me a lot when I was a child," said Zheng.

Zheng's opponent, Donna Vekic, has also had a challenging journey to the final. Vekic, ranked 21st in the world, knocked out US Open champion Coco Gauff in a stormy third round and saved a match point to defeat Marta Kostyuk in the quarter-finals. Vekic admitted feeling immense pressure representing her nation but managed a decisive semi-final win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

With both players determined and having overcome significant obstacles, the gold medal clash promises to be an intense and thrilling match.