Carlos Alcaraz from Spain has secured a spot in the Olympic men’s singles quarter-finals alongside 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
However, Alcaraz and 14-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal were defeated in the men’s doubles, falling to the USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram with a score of 6-2 6-4.
The reigning French Open champion Alcaraz overcame Russian Roman Safiullin, who is competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete, with a score of 6-4 6-2.
Earlier, Djokovic triumphed over Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in very humid conditions, winning 7-5 6-3 as he continues his pursuit of Olympic men’s singles gold, which has so far eluded him.
“I’m completely soaked, to be honest,” Djokovic commented shortly after his victory. “It’s a really humid day [and] I just hope it rains to cool the temperature and the air down.”
“But it is what it is. You have to accept and embrace the conditions, and it’s the same for both you and your opponents, so you have to try to make the best of it.”
French Open finalist Alexander Zverev overcame a determined challenge from Australia’s Alexei Popyrin to advance to the quarter-finals.
Also making it to the quarter-finals are Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, Norway’s Casper Ruud, and the USA’s Tommy Paul.
French Open women’s champion Iga Swiatek moved forward, having faced a tough quarter-final where she was leading 6-1 2-6 4-1 before USA’s Danielle Collins retired in the final set.
Angelique Kerber, a three-time Grand Slam champion from Germany, saw her career come to a close after losing to China’s Zhang Qinwen 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (8-6).
“I have accomplished everything I dreamed of,” Kerber reflected, in her best performance of the season.
“I was number one, won Grand Slams, earned a [silver] medal in Rio, so what more could I ask for in the end?”
Kerber captured titles at the Australian and US Opens in 2016 before winning Wimbledon two years later.
