Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

Team Puerto Rico tennis star Mónica Puig has excelled during her Olympic debut, and she may win Puerto Rico's first gold medal.

Puerto Rico started competing in the 1948 London Olympic Games and has eight Olympic medals. Puig is on the fast track to snagging the island's first gold medal.

Monica Puig, of Puerto Rico, pumps her fist after winning a point against Laura Siegemund, of Germany, at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. Charles Krupa / AP

So far, Puig has bested Polona Hercog with Slovenia, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with Russia, Spain's Garbine Muguruza and Germany's Laura Seigemund in Women's Singles Tennis. Muguruza, the fourth-ranked player in the world and 2016 French Open champion was bested by Puig, 6-1, 6-1 in three sets.

The Morning Rundown Get a head start on the morning's top stories. This site is protected by recaptcha

Puig is 34th in the world, but her momentum at the Rio Olympics has pushed her to the semifinal rounds to play Team Czech Republic's Petra Kvitová.

Her progress and finals matches can be seen on NBC Olympics' broadcast.

If Puig wins her semi-final match Friday, she will have won at least a bronze medal. She could face either Team USA's Madison Keys or Germany's Angelique Kerber for silver or gold on Saturday for the final match.

The Rio Games are Puig's first Olympics, and on August 6 she penned an emotional Facebook post, saying she has dreamed about competing in the Olympics since she was young.

Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.