World number one Rafael Nadal will aim to cement his spot in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters when he squares off with Austria's Dominic Thiem in the last-eight clash here on Friday.
The Spanish tennis maestro had earlier stormed into the quarter-finals of the tournament following a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Karen Khachanov of Russia in a one-sided last-16 clash of the men's singles event that lasted one hour and 18 minutes.
It should be noted that 16-time Grand Slam champion Nadal is bidding for an 11th Monte Carlo title and a record 31st Masters title.
Thiem, on the other hand, bounced back from a set down to register a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 win over Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic and book his place in the last-eight of the tournament.
While Nadal has reached the quarterfinals or better in Monte Carlo for 14 years in a row, Thiem is through to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in his career.
Heading to the semi-final clash, Nadal leads Thiem in their head-to-head by 5-2. Thiem's two victories against Nadal came in the semifinals of Buenos Aires in 2016 and the quarterfinals of Rome in 2017.
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Nadal, on the other hand, clinched their most recent meeting during the semi-finals of the French Open in 2017.
In another quarter-final clash, Japan's Kei Nishikori will also look to seal last-four spot when he locks horns with Croatia's Marin Cilic later today.