Novak Djokovic has made it through to his 11th straight quarter-final at the Italian Open with a straight-sets win over Roberto Bautista Agut.
The world number two came out on top 6-4 6-4 on Thursday afternoon to maintain his impressive Rome run, remaining on course for a fifth title in nine years.
Djokovic, a beaten finalist here last year, held his serve throughout the opening set and earned the only break in the seventh game to ease into a convincing lead.
The second set proved to be tougher for the 29-year-old as, after breaking Bautista Agut in the third, his opponent pegged him back in the sixth to take three games on the spin.
Djokovic required four break points to wrest back control of the match in the ninth game with the final break of the afternoon, before seeing things through to set up a meeting with either Kei Nishikori or Juan Martin del Potro in the last eight.
Daniel Lewis
