Rafael Nadal, enjoying his best season on clay in two years, booked a quarter-final clash against Austriaās Dominic Thiem, whom he beat in the Madrid Masters final last week, after an āaggressiveā 6-3, 6-4 win over American Jack Sock, seeded 13th.
Novak Djokovic, beaten in the final by Britainās Andy Murray last year, will now face Juan Martin del Potro in the quarters after the unseeded Argentinianās 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori.
Nadal, a seven-time champion in Rome and now on a 17-match claycourt winning streak, also swept Djokovic aside in the semis in Madrid.
But French Open champion Djokovic said: āIām getting closer, I feel like todayās match was one of the better ones Iāve played on clay this season, and in the past couple of months.
āItās coming at the right time, weāre getting closer to Roland Garros. All the players are looking to raise their game for Paris.
āIāve been doing my best to optimise my game to get it to the highest possible level at the moment ā¦ right now, as days are passing by, I feel more comfortable on the court, more confident hitting the ball.ā
It kept Djokovic on track to meet Nadal in the semis after the Spaniard ended Sockās hopes in 1hr 20min.
āIt was a good victory against Jack, heās a tough opponent. He hit the ball hard with a lot of spin,ā said Nadal.
āI played a more aggressive game and Iām serving better. I can play a bit more aggressive than the way I played tonight, but overall Iām happy.
āTomorrow Iām up against Dominic, heās a player whoās having more success on clay so it will be another tough battle.ā
Thiem saved three match points in beating Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).