World number one Andy Murray made short work of unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov to reach the French Open quarter-finals with a clean-as-you-like 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory on Monday.
Murray largely dispensed with the chuntering and lapses that accompanied his first two matches as he maintained the momentum established in beating Juan Martin del Potro with an assured display on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The 30-year-old Scot made only one unforced error in pocketing the opening set and although he did drop serve late in the second he broke back immediately to take complete control of his first meeting with the talented Russian.
The powerful 21-year-old Khachanov, playing in his third grand slam event, showed flashes of brilliance in the sunshine but not for long enough spells to worry Murray who is through to the quarter-finals for the seventh time.
Murray broke in the ninth game of the third set, having just dropped his own with a rare baseline error, and wrapped up his 650th Tour-level win when Khachanov sprayed a forehand wide.
After a torrid build-up to the tournament when he could not buy a victory followed by scratchy four-set victories in the opening two rounds, Murray has timed his return to form perfectly, taking down former US Open champion Del Potro in straight sets, then ousting Khachanov.
"Come a long way the last 10 days or so," Murray, runner-up to Novak Djokovic last year, told reporters.
"Each match I feel I played better. I've hit the ball cleaner and started to see the right shots at the right moments."
Murray will face eighth seed Kei Nishikori after the Japanese player fought back from losing the first set of his last-16 match against Fernando Verdasco to love to beat the Spaniard 0-6 6-4 6-4 6-0.
Croatian seventh seed Marin Cilic advanced into the quarter-finals after his fourth-round opponent, South Africa's Kevin Anderson, retired.
Cilic was 6-3 3-0 up on Court Suzanne Lenglen when Anderson, who was plagued with injuries last year, quit.
Cilic's next opponent will be Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka, whose array of shots was too much to handle for a resurgent Gael Monfils.
The 2015 champion was a break down in the opening set but played tighter when it mattered while Monfils, who had been struggling with injuries this season, looked suddenly out of sorts.
Wawrinka squandered three set points in the second set tiebreak but prevailed on his fourth attempt.
Monfils, the 15th seed, had nothing left in the tank in the third set and could only watch on in frustration as Wawrinka reached the last eight without dropping a set in the tournament.
