The red flag flew high, the national anthem rang loud and a champion lay sprawled on red clay, rejoicing in her unprecedented accomplishment — it all had a sense of deja vu for Chinese fans, transporting them back to 13 years ago at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Yet, this time around, on Saturday afternoon, Zheng celebrated an even more special, emotional and "improbable" title than tennis legend Li Na's 2011 French Open win — the first Olympic singles gold medal ever won by a Chinese — or any Asian — player.

This monumental victory will undoubtedly pour even more fuel on the fire powering Zheng's meteoric career rise — it has already, surely, propelled her into the pantheon of Chinese sporting greats — but, more significantly, it will have served up another huge boost to the sport's momentum in China.

It was on the Olympic stage 20 years ago that another unprecedented tennis victory, the doubles gold medal won by Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in Athens, lit the spark, bringing the Western-dominated racket sport into China's mainstream.

Li Na then gave it a major push by winning Asia's first Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros in 2011, followed by a second trophy at the 2014 Australian Open.

Growing up admiring her predecessors, and dreaming big herself, Zheng has now etched her name in the sport's history alongside her heroes, and has most likely planted those same seeds of determination in the hearts and dreams, of the next generation.

"I am really excited and proud to join all the history-makers and to become a source of inspiration for the next generation," Zheng, a 21-year-old native of Hubei province, said in English after beating Croatia's Donna Vekic in straight sets in the gold medal match at Roland Garros on Saturday.

"I still have a long road ahead of me, because winning a Grand Slam is also one of my targets. Every era has a hero. Li Na led her generation. Now, I'll do what I can to reach my full potential."

With her most-coveted Paris souvenir hanging around her neck, Zheng, who started playing tennis at 6 years old, influenced by her father, ranks the Olympic gold at the top of her career accolades, which include three singles titles on the professional WTA Tour, a runner-up finish at the 2024 Australian Open and a singles win at last year's Asian Games.

Even with no ranking points on offer, nor prize money awarded, the Olympic gold will always hold a special place in her heart, and will inspire her to attain further success on the pro circuit, Zheng said.

"My father always treats the Olympic Games more importantly than any of the Slams, myself as well. You can see it in my eyes; the hunger I had this week was different than in all the other tournaments I play," said Zheng, who, at No 7 in the world, is currently China's highest-ranked female player.

"Winning this Olympic gold medal makes me feel more relaxed, because finally I can tell my father 'I am an Olympic champion now'. It feels like a big stone has been lifted from my heart. Now I can enjoy tennis more, be more relaxed and have more fun on court."

Tougher than expected

Entering the Olympic tournament as the No 6 seed, Zheng has completed a physically demanding week of six matches, five of which were competed back-to-back.

She had to come back from behind in two consecutive three-hour matches to beat 15th-ranked Emma Navarro of the United States in the round of 16 and former world No 1 Angelique Kerber of Germany in the quarterfinals, before challenging reigning world No 1, Poland's Iga Swiatek, a four-time major winner at Roland Garros, in the semifinals.

Exhausted and under pressure, Zheng drew extra strength from her national pride to upset the competition favorite Swiatek in straight sets, claiming her first win in their seventh encounter and snapping the Polish star's 25-match winning streak on the "terre battue" of Paris.

"I had a lot of tough fights. In a lot of matches, I almost lost. But, there's a spirit holding me up. I don't know why, because in a usual match (on the tour), maybe I'd let it get away. At the Olympics, I just held it and kept fighting," said Zheng, who was eliminated in the third round of this year's French Open at the same venue in June.

"I'd been through five matches already, and my body hurt everywhere, but I still felt I had a lot of strength in me. If I needed to stay three more hours to fight through (Vekic), I felt I could do it for my country. I think the biggest achievement was my mental strength."

Professional push

The rapid progress of Zheng and her peers, including another young female talent Wang Xinyu, who teamed up with the country's top male player, Zhang Zhizhen, to claim a silver medal in the mixed doubles on Friday, stems from a tennis revolution launched by the success of Li Na.

Talent development, at the core of that revolution, has evolved profoundly in China. Today's players are exposed to the pro circuit earlier, managing their own careers with the support of international coaches, fitness trainers, physios and agents, unlike in the traditional State-run system, where a national-team program manages everything.

The result of this new, professional approach has been quite encouraging, especially on the women's side.

Spearheaded by Zheng, China currently has six players ranked in the top 100 on the women's tour. Only the United States, Russia and the Czech Republic have more players than China in the top 100, with 13, 12 and eight, respectively.

Organizers and promoters have also played their part in bringing more high-level tournaments to China to keep pace with the on-court breakthroughs.

From hosting only three professional tournaments before 2010, China now has seven WTA tournaments and five men's Association of Tennis Professionals events scheduled this year, and has become one of the busiest destinations on the professional tennis calendar.

The China Open, already the biggest men's and women's combined tournament in Asia, promises to be bigger and better this year, too, thanks to the growing domestic appetite for elite tennis.

In April, the tournament organizers announced the women's competition will be upgraded to a two-week format with 96 draws, up from 64 last year, placing Beijing alongside Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome as the fifth top-flight WTA1000 tournament.

On the men's side, the ATP500 tournament is expected to continue serving up high-quality players. Grand Slam champions Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, Daniil Medvedev of Russia and Italy's Jannik Sinner have all confirmed that they will return to Beijing this fall, after having featured in last year's star-studded men's draw.

The total prize money for the tournament, which runs from Sept 23 to Oct 6 at Beijing's National Tennis Center, will be increased to a record $13.14 million.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn