(CNN) -- While Li Na was battling to keep her French Open title defense alive on Saturday, the scene of last year's triumph was being recreated in her native China.
Such has been the impact of Asia's first grand slam singles champion in her homeland that tennis chiefs are seeking to bring a bit of Roland Garros to Beijing.
A clay court and two giant screens have been set up in one of the city's major shopping malls for an interactive experience that will last until the tournament ends on June 10.
"I'm very pleased that a country like China follows our prestigious tournament," French Tennis Federation president Jean Gachassin said in a statement.
"For us, it's an extraordinary opportunity to promote clay-court tennis. I'd like to heartily thank the Chinese Tennis Federation for welcoming us on their home soil for this fabulous event."
Li Na's French Open win made her one of the richest sportswomen in the world -- second only to tennis rival Maria Sharapova, right.
Li reaps riches of French Open win
Maria Sharapova has come a long way since turning professional on her 14th birthday in April 2001, having played the game since she was four years old.
Maria Sharapova's French Open dream
World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has come a long way since first picking up a tennis racket in her native Belarus.
The tennis journey of Victoria Azarenka
World No. 3 Petra Kvitova is hoping a tough fitness regime will deliver her to the top spot.
Petra Kvitova's 2012 struggles
Courting a country with a population of 1.3 billion makes sense for any sport serious about global growth, and the exhibition has been backed by major sponsors such as Longines, Lacoste and Peugeot.
Li has become a marketer's dream in the past 12 months, securing lucrative endorsement deals which have made her the second highest-paid athlete in the world behind fellow tennis star Maria Sharapova.
Her hopes of being around for next weekend's women's final remained alive after she came from behind to beat young American Christina McHale on Saturday.
The 30-year-old rebounded from a first-set debacle in which she made 24 unforced errors to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-1 and earn a last-16 clash with Kazakh qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova.
The world No. 7 had a surprisingly tough match against an opponent 10 years her junior and 29 places lower in the rankings, one who lost in the first round in Paris last year and in 2010.
"Tennis is best of three sets, so even if I lose the first set, I still have a chance," said Li, who is the only Chinese player left in the tournament after Peng Shuai lost to Sharapova on Saturday.
"In the first set I was just following what she was doing. I felt like she was the champion on the court. But I changed a little bit at the beginning of the second set to play my way, and I'm happy I was able to do that today."
Li beat Francesca Schiavone in last year's final, but the 2010 French Open champion will not feature in the second week of this tournament after suffering a 3-6 6-3 8-6 defeat by Uzbekistan-born American Varvara Lepchenko.
The 63rd-ranked Lepchenko's reward for beating the Italian is a daunting clash with fourth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, who battled to a 6-2 4-6 6-1 win against Russia's world No. 109 Nina Bratchikova.
Second-ranked Sharapova cruised into the fourth round as she crushed 28th seed Peng 6-2 6-1 to set up a clash with Czech Klara Zakopalova, who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
The 25-year-old Sharapova was a semifinalist here last year and in 2007, but the Russian may finally win the only grand slam title to elude her if she can keep up the form that has seen her drop just five games in three matches so far.
However, fellow former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki must continue her agonizing wait for a first major title.
The Dane, now ranked ninth, saved four match-points before losing 1-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 against Estonian 23rd seed Kaia Kanepi.
Kanepi blew 5-1 leads in the last two sets, but held her nerve to earn a last-16 clash with 21-year-old Dutch player Arantxa Rus.
Last year Rus beat former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters before losing in round three, and she has gone one step further after eliminating German 25th seed Julia Gorges 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-2 in a match that ended as darkness fell.
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Since becoming China's first grand slam singles champion in Paris last year, Li has signed seven new sponsorship deals.
Western brands have seized on Li as a way of moving into the Chinese marketplace, which is traditionally one of the hardest to infiltrate.
Li has a deal with Chinese insurance firm Taikang, and her U.S.-based agent says she could have signed up to seven further sponsorships, but he did not want to compromise her tennis career.
Li has comfortably maintained her place in the world's top 10 but hasn't won another title since Roland Garros, although she has reached two finals this year.
However, she remains one of the most in-demand players on the WTA Tour, not just because of her nationality but also because of her engaging personality.
In China she is seen as a rebellious figure because of her tattoo, and for refusing to accept government help as she established her career.
When Li reached the finals of the Australian and French Opens last year, it was estimated that -- with China's population of 1.3 billion -- the matches attracted possibly the highest television audience for a one-off sporting event.
Sharapova was spotted at an early age by former great Martina Navratilova and after moving to the United States she was enrolled into the famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida at the age of nine.
The Russian became the third youngest female to win Wimbledon in 2004 aged just 17. She beat Serena Williams in the final to spark huge interest the papers labelled "Maria Mania."
However, she still considers the Eastern European nation to be her home. Azarenka is pictured with former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki (right) at a children's cancer center in Minsk in 2010.
Azarenka (far left) first became involved in the sport when her mother started working in a tennis center in her native Belarus. Her first coach was Valentina Rzhanih (also pictured).
Azarenka was a Wimbledon champion at the age of 14, winning the girls' doubles title in 2004 with compatriot Volha Havartsova.
Azarenka won the junior titles at the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2005, finishing the season as junior world number one. She burst onto the senior scene the year after.
Less than a year after she briefly considered quitting, Azarenka became the first player from Belarus to win a grand slam singles title when she beat Maria Sharapova in the 2012 Australian Open final.
Azarenka is still seeking to improve, and has added two-time grand slam champion and former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo to her coaching team.
The Wimbledon champion began 2012 in fine style as she teamed up with compatriot Tomas Berdych to win the Hopman Cup teams exhibition tournament in Perth.
Kvitova was beaten by China's French Open champion Li Na in the semifinals of her next event, the Sydney International.
The left-hander also reached the last four at the season's opening grand slam, the Australian Open, but lost to Maria Sharapova to end her hopes of becoming the new world No. 1 as the Russian avenged her Wimbledon final thrashing.
Kvitova bounced back with two wins as the Czech Republic reached the semifinals of the Fed Cup with victory over Germany in Stuttgart in early February.
She is a big hit in her home nation, having helped the East European country win the Fed Cup final last year.
After injury and illness forced her out of tournaments in Qatar and Dubai, Kvitova was beaten by American teenager Christina McHale in the third round at California's Indian Wells event in March.
Worse was to come in Key Biscayne, Florida, when Kvitova lost her opening match to Venus Williams, who was playing her first tournament after a long absence due to an incurable illness.
Kvitova came to the fore when she won her first grand slam title at the prestigious English grass-court event last July.
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