Paris - Seventh seed Marin Cilic established himself as a contender for the French Open title after sweeping past Feliciano Lopez 6-1 6-3 6-3 to reach the last 16 without having dropped a set on Saturday.
The 2014 US Open winner, who warmed up for the year's second grand slam by capturing his first clay-court title in five years in Istanbul last month, delivered a near-perfect performance to equal his best-ever showing in Paris.
He whipped 31 winners past the helpless Spaniard, who at 35 was the oldest player left in the draw and who needed repeated medical treatments for neck problems.
The 28-year-old Croatian completed his win with his eighth ace to set up a round of 16 clash with either Britain's Kyle Edmund or Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
French Open results on Saturday, the seventh day of the 2017 tournament at Roland Garros (x denotes seeding):
Men
3rd rd
Marin Cilic (CRO x7) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
Women
3rd rd
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x21) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS x14) 6-4, 6-4
Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x9) 6-2, 6-1