Rafael Nadal comfortably navigated his way into the quarter-finals of the US Open by defeating Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets.

The Spaniard, who has won the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows twice before, sealed a 6-2 6-4 6-1 victory in one hour and 42 minutes.

Nadal clinched the opening set with ease, breaking serve twice to give himself a clear advantage before taking a patient approach in the second set.

Both players were stubborn on serve, but Dolgopolov was unable to create a single break point and Nadal eventually found a way through.

It took the 15-time Grand Slam champion just 32 minutes to wrap up the third set, sealing match point on his fifth attempt.

Nadal, who did not drop a single service game throughout the match, will take on either David Goffin or Andrey Rublev for a place in the semi-finals.