Intro:

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and David Ferrer all reached the quarter-finals of the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome on Thursday (14th May), while Andy Murray has pulled out citing exhaustion.

Script:

Rafael Nadal is hoping to make it eight Internzationali d'Italia titles. John Isner was standing in his way of the quarter-finals this time around.

The big-serving American came into the event having won 84 straight service games - but Nadal broke his magnificent run in the opening set, and went on to break again in the second.

He served out for the 6-4, 6-4 win.

Second seed Roger Federer also stayed on course in his bid to lift the trophy for the first time against Kevin Anderson.

Federer cruised through the opening set by six games to three.

But the Swiss master stumbled towards the finish line, squandering a 5-2 lead in the second set as Anderson staged a fightback to make it five-games all.

Federer finally served out at the third time of asking, taking the 6-3, 7-5 win.

The all-Spanish contest between David Ferrer and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez was another straight-sets victory - Ferrer coming through 6-1, 6-3.

The fifth will face David Goffin in the quarter-finals.

Goffin was granted a walkover when Andy Murray withdrew.

Meanwhile Stan Wawrinka set up a quarter-final clash with Nadal after dismissing Dominic Thiem 7-6 7-3, 6-4 in a tight match.

The eighth-seed recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since lifting the Rotterdam trophy in February.