Top seed Rafael Nadal reached the last eight with a 6-3 6-2 6-4 demolition of Fernando Gonzalez.
Gonzalez blown away by world number one
Top seed Rafael Nadal reached the last eight of the Australian Open with a 6-3 6-2 6-4 demolition of Fernando Gonzalez.
Nadal dominated the opening two sets, winning each in under 40 minutes, as 13th seed Gonzalez was given little opportunity to unleash his trademark giant forehands.
The Chilean, a finalist in Melbourne two years ago, did produce a brief revival to move 3-0 ahead at the start of the third set.
But Nadal reeled off five games in a row to move 5-3 ahead and went on to serve out the match at the first opportunity.
"I am playing well...but you never know if it's going to be enough," said the Spaniard, who is bidding for a maiden hardcourt Grand Slam success to go with his four French Open titles and single triumph at Wimbledon.
"I hope I continue playing like this, because all the (remaining) matches are very, very difficult. I have to be ready for everything.
"I am improving...all the time. Maybe the only thing today I can improve a little bit more is the serve.
"Today I was not 100 percent happy with my serve. It wasn't very bad, but I think I was serving better the last matches."
Monfils injured
The Spaniard will play sixth seed Gilles Simon in the quarter-finals after the Frenchman benefited from the retirement of Gael Monfils in his fourth-round match.
Simon led by two sets to one, 6-4 2-4 6-1, when his compatriot Monfils was forced to quit due to a wrist injury.
Monfils, the 12th seed, began to struggle during early stages of the third set, taking his right hand off the racket every time he played a shot.
At 4-1 down he called for a medical time out and, after losing the next two games to surrender the set, decided he could no longer continue.
"It was very hard for me because we are very close," Simon said of the manner of the victory.
"I won today but it's not the way I wanted to win."
Simon's performance in Melbourne is already comfortably his best at a Grand Slam having never previously been past the third round at any of the major tournaments.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fifth seed, also made the quarter-finals with a straight-sets success over James Blake.
Tsonga, last year's beaten finalist, was in superb form as he toppled ninth seed Blake 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
Tsonga will now face Fernando Verdasco following the
Spaniard's victory over Andy Murray.
