Novak Djokovic demolished Frances’s Richard Gasquet 6-1 6-2 6-3 in an awe-inspiring performance at the French Open to set up a much-anticipated quarter-final clash with Rafael Nadal.
The world number one needed seven break points to break the 20th seed's serve in the third game but once he had that advantage in the bag, there was no looking back. The top seed won nine games in a row to put Gasquet on the ropes.
Drop shots, gravity-defying crosscourt backhand winners and steely defence - Djokovic had way too much in his reserves to sink a hapless Gasquet.
The French favourite managed to please the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd with some sublime one-handed backhands but they failed to stall Djokovic's charge towards the quarter-finals.
Djokovic, who dropped serve only once, ended Gasquet's ordeal with an exquisite dropshot as he continued his quest to win the only grand slam title missing from his collection.
Nadal warmed up for a quarter-final blockbuster with a 6-3 6-1 5-7 6-2 triumph over American tyro Jack Sock.
The omens had looked rather foreboding for Sock even before he stepped on court for the fourth round encounter - with his rival holding a winning 11-0 head-to-head record against Americans on clay.
Sock's hopes of stalling that run looked all but over within the opening exchanges of the contest when he fell 3-0 behind to the nine-time champion.
The 22-year-old unexpectedly snatched the third set from Nadal but that only delayed the inevitable as the Spaniard became the first man to win a record 70 matches at Roland Garros when he fired down an unreturnable serve.
Roger Federer reached the quarter-finals with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-1 defeat of local showman Gael Monfils.
The match, resuming at one set all on Court Philippe Chatrier after being held over from Sunday, began with the second-seed from Switzerland breaking serve.
Federer, who had lost his two previous encounters against the 13th seed, never looked back and went on to complete his fourth victory over Monfils at Roland Garros.
He next faces compatriot Stan Wawrinka, the eighth seed.
Andy Murray was made to work for his place in the quarter-finals as he was taken to four sets before battling past France's Jeremy Chardy.
It is Murray's 17th consecutive appearance in the last eight of a grand slam and his 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory means he will now face Spain's David Ferrer for a spot in the semi-finals.
Ferrer will almost certainly provide a sterner test than Chardy, who enjoyed a purple patch to clinch the second set, but paid the price for his inconsistency, which included 10 double faults and 56 unforced errors.
Chardy talked in the build-up about capitalising on the home crowd but it was the Frenchman who started nervously, serving two consecutive double faults in the first game to hand Murray an early break.
The world number 45 broke back immediately but again his serve let him down as another double fault helped Murray go 4-2 ahead.
The Frenchman briefly irritated Murray when he twice caught a wayward ball toss only then to serve an ace, but that was about as uncomfortable as it got for the Scot in the first set, which he served out with ease.
Double faults continued to plague Chardy at the start of the second set but Murray failed to take advantage as his opponent survived two lengthy service games, the first of which included nine deuces, and five break points.
The missed opportunities breathed life into both the French crowd and Chardy, who proceeded to enjoy a golden spell, winning five of the next six games to take the second set and gain an early break in the third.
It seemed inevitable Chardy's hot streak, which included 18 winners in the second set - twice as many as the first, would eventually cool off and it did, as a double fault and missed smash helped Murray break back in the second game.
Normal service promptly resumed, Chardy serving his ninth double fault to give his opponent a 5-3 lead, and Murray closed out to regain control.
Chardy continued to unleash the occasional winner but unforced errors, and shaky second serves, became more frequent and a missed forehand gave Murray a break in the third game of the fourth.
The momentum was now firmly back in the Scot's favour and he produced some glittering points late on, including a stunning backhand pass and a brilliant forehand return, before wrapping up victory in two hours and 51 minutes.
Ferrer slipped almost unnoticed into the quarter-finals with a dismissive 6-2 6-2 6-4 win over Croatia's Marin Cilic.
The 33-year-old seventh seed was at his relentless best as he suffocated the more powerful Cilic, moving easily through to his sixth quarter-final at Roland Garros.
Ferrer made only 14 unforced errors and Cilic simply did not have patience to grind it out, dropping serve five times.
