Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz overcame intense humidity on Wednesday, maintaining their trajectory towards a potential Olympic gold medal clash. Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen brought the career of former world number one Angelique Kerber to an end.

Djokovic, aiming for his first Olympic title at Roland Garros to complement his extensive Grand Slam collection, overcame German left-hander Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3, becoming the first man to reach four singles quarterfinals in Olympic history. Alcaraz easily dispatched Roman Safiullin, the Russian playing as a neutral in Paris, 6-4, 6-2. In the women's singles, Zheng defeated Kerber 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), becoming the second Chinese player to reach an Olympic singles semifinal.

The 37-year-old Djokovic, who has only a bronze from the Beijing Olympics 16 years ago, faced little difficulty against his 70th-ranked opponent. "I'm drenched, honestly," Djokovic remarked, having won three of his 24 Grand Slam titles on Paris's renowned red clay. "It's incredibly humid, just like yesterday. But you must accept and make the most of the conditions." Djokovic, who had previously defeated old rival Rafael Nadal, will next face 11th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 11-2, including a comeback win from two sets down in the 2021 French Open final.

Tsitsipas, when asked about that painful loss, said, "I've put it behind me. I see he's motivated for these Olympics, but I want to prove my worth on the clay courts." Despite his confidence, Tsitsipas hasn't beaten Djokovic in nearly five years, with the world number two winning the last 10 meetings. Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon champion, remains undefeated in Paris, swiftly defeating 66th-ranked Safiullin in 90 minutes. Alcaraz broke serve four times and sealed the match with his fifth ace.

"I'm pleased with how I handled the match. The conditions were challenging with the heat and humidity," Alcaraz noted. He will next face Tommy Paul, whom he defeated in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Paul advanced to the last eight by defeating Corentin Moutet, ending French involvement in the Olympic tennis events. Zheng, the Australian Open runner-up, became the first Chinese woman since Li Na in 2008 to reach the singles semifinals. Her three-hour victory, featuring 64 winners, forced 36-year-old former world number one Kerber, a silver medalist in Rio 2016, into retirement.

"I gave it my all," Kerber said, now ranked 212th. "I've loved playing tennis. Now I can retire peacefully." Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is the first Slovakian to reach the Olympics semifinals since Miloslav Mecir won the men's singles title in Seoul in 1988. Schmiedlova shocked Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets. Later, four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek could extend her 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros by reaching the Olympics semifinals for the first time, facing Danielle Collins of the United States. In other women's quarterfinals, Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk takes on Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic of Croatia. Defending men's champion Alexander Zverev faces Australia's Alexei Popyrin, while fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, competing as a neutral, meets Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime. Nadal, pursuing a third Olympic gold, plays for the fifth consecutive day as he and Alcaraz aim for a spot in the men's doubles semifinals. The Spaniards face a challenging quarterfinal against fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the United States.