Her compatriot Wu Yue had sealed the first of two potential berths at the Games by winning gold at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games in Markham, with Zhang aiming to replicate that achievement at the same venue.

The 19-year-old, who competed at London 2012, claimed a 15-13, 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 victory over Canada’s Lu Yi in the opening tie of day.

She was then able to overcome her compatriot Crystal Wang in a gruelling encounter, with the 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-9 win seeing her set up a final match against fellow American Zheng Jiaqi.

With the pair both reaching the final, it ensured that the US would be able to send a full complement of two players to the Games, but it made the contest a direct play-off for the final spot.

The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medallist eventually claimed the place by overcoming Zheng 11-3, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9.

“I still can’t believe it; it feels like I'm in a cloud, so excited and proud to represent the US at the Olympics,” said Zhang.

“I definitely do think this time around I’ll be more prepared and a little less star struck.”

Canada’s Eugene Wang emerged victorious from the opening men’s tournament, with the home favourite failing to drop a game throughout the duration of the competition.

The London 2012 Olympian earned a 11-6, 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 win over his fellow Canadian Pierre-Luc Theriault in the final to seal the Rio 2016 berth.

Theriault will have two more opportunities to claim a spot at the Games, with tournaments due to take place tomorrow and on Sunday (April 10).