Zheng Jie created history at Wimbledon yesterday, becoming the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

The Chinese ace¹ beat Nicole Vaidisova, of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to set up a semifinal clash with former winner Serena Williams of the US.

In an earlier match, the upstart Zheng put paid to women’s top seed Ana Ivanovic's hopes of winning her first Wimbledon crown then later went on to beat Hungary's Agnes Szavay in the fourth round on Monday.

The 24-year-old Zheng now becomes the first wild-card entrant to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon and the second at any Grand Slam.

Seeded 133 for the women’s singles event, Zheng, is playing at Wimbledon for only her third time, and is now just two wins away from completing a dream run.

Zheng comes from the Sichuan capital of Chengdu, which was hit by a devastating² earthquake on May 12 and she has promised to donate her prize winnings to the disaster region.