Li Na created history on several fronts with her stunning upset win over five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Not only did her 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 victory result in the 27-year-old reaching her first Grand Slam singles' semi-final but following on from Zheng Jie's quarter-final win over Maria Kirilenko the day before it means that for the first time the world's most populous nation will have two players in the semi-finals of a major tournament.
But there was another significant first for Li and for Chinese tennis as a result of her stunning victory over Williams.
And that was a guaranteed top ten ranking for the player who was seeded No.16 here - the first time ever a Chinese player has been ranked in the top ten.
It was that achievement, as much as reaching the last four of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, that had Li excited after the biggest win of her career.
"It's so exciting, maybe I take the beer tonight," she said to much laughter when asked about her rise into the elite of women's tennis.
"The goal, my goal this year was (to be in) the top ten."
"But now in only January, it’s come quickly but I didn't think about that."
"I know the tournament is not finished, it's not at the end so hopefully I can continue (winning)."
Li gave the impression she is far from satisfied at just having reached the semi-finals - matching the achievement of 35th ranked Zheng, who also did so at Wimbledon in 2008 prior to this tournament.
"I don't want to say (this is the biggest win of my career) because the tournament is not finished yet," she said.
But one thing is certain - regardless of how Zheng and Li fare in their respective semi-finals - tennis is certain of booming even further in China, particularly if Zheng and Li were to continue their giant-killing runs in the semi-finals which would result in the pair meeting in this year's women's decider.
While delighted for her countrywoman Zheng, Li said she had not taken any inspiration from her rise to the semi-finals the day before.
"If she can play in the final I would say congratulations for her (but) she plays her tennis and I play my tennis," she said.
Li, who once had to pay a whopping 60 percent of her prizemoney to the Chinese tennis federation but now only pays 12 percent, predicted the sport would only continue to grow in China on the back of the country's success at this tournament.
"I don't how it is in China right now but I am feeling that maybe tennis in China right now is bigger and bigger," she said.
Media interest from China has grown at Melbourne Park the longer the tournament has progressed with more and more journalists arriving from that country as Zheng and Li have progressed deeper into the tournament.
And this has also been matched by increased television coverage back home.
Li said she was confident the exploits of Zheng and herself would encourage other youngsters to take up the game and with so many potential players to choose from she predicted more Chinese players - both men and women - would break into the top 100 despite the fact that at present the Chinese boom seems to