World number one Roger Federer fended off a brave challenge from Frenchman Julien Benneteau to go through to the quarter-finals of the French Open with a 6-4 7-5 7-5 victory.
Benneteau, one of five Frenchmen to reach the last 16, fought tooth and nail for stretches with the top seed and broke the Swiss serve in all three sets, but Federer marched on after two hours and 26 rain-interrupted minutes on Centre Court.
Federer reached his fourth consecutive Paris quarter-final when he smashed home an overhead on his third match point.
The Swiss, seeking a first Roland Garros crown to complete his grand slam collection, now faces Fernando Gonzalez in the last eight after the Chilean beat American Robby Ginepri 7-6 6-3 6-1 for a place in the quarters.
The 24th-seeded Gonzalez, who also made it to the last eight in 2003, will find it hard to improve his record against the world number one.
"Roger's playing great tennis... maybe you're going to have more chances with another player. But there is always going to be a chance," said Gonzalez, who has beaten Federer only once in 11 meetings.
Gonzalez, the only South American left in the draw, needed one set to adjust before confidently holding off Ginepri's attacking game.