Nadal powers into last eight

Rafael Nadal moved closer to claiming a seventh straight Monte Carlo Rolex Masters title as he reached the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet today.

Nadal needed just one hour and 33 minutes to claim victory, although he did suffer one minor setback in the second set when Gasquet broke his serve for the first time in the match to level at 4-4.