Three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal moved into the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Nadal is searching for a fourth straight title in Monaco and his first since winning in Stuttgart last July.

The Spaniards played an intense first set but Nadal made the decisive break and, though they swapped breaks in the second, Nadal never look troubled.

The world number two faces fellow countryman David Ferrer next after the world number five beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-4 6-0 to reach the last eight for the fourth straight year.