World number one Rafael Nadal booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Sony Open after thumping 14th seed Fabio Fognini in Miami.

Nadal, who is bidding for a maiden title in this competition, dropped just one game against the overmatched Denis Istomin in his last match was equally impressive in a 6-2 6-2 victory over Fognini.

The 27-year-old Spaniard did not lose a single point on serve in the first set, with Fognini pushed to the limit by the top seed’s powerful groundstrokes.

Fognini was well below his best and fell 4-0 down before stopping the rot in the fifth game, but the Italian could not impose himself on Nadal’s serve and duly lost the first set before being immediately broken at the start of the second set.

Nadal, a runner-up in this tournament on three occasions, was rarely stretched thereafter and duly wrapped up victory inside 62 minutes against an opponent who made 35 unforced errors.

The 13-time grand slam champion will next face 12th seed Milos Raonic in the last eight, with the Canadian ending lucky loser Benjamin Becker’s run in the competition with a 6-3 6-4 victory.

Second seed Novak Djokovic was also rarely troubled in a 6-3 7-5 win over Spain’s Tommy Robredo and he will next face Andy Murray, who defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-1, in a mouthwatering encounter.