Rafael Nadal did enough to skip past Filip Krajinovic to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2019 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Wednesday.

The Spanish superstar is chasing his fourth title at the event and beat the qualifier 6-3, 6-4.

It was the first time the pair had met, with the Serbian unable to keep up with the highest-remaining seed when he put his foot on the gas in California.

Top seed Novak Djokovic was knocked out by Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets on Tuesday, leaving Nadal in the driver's seat.

Tennis TV shared the winning moment of the contest:

ATP Media Info highlighted Nadal's current dominance:

Nadal was ravenous at times, and he quickly wrested control in the opening moments of the first set.

Krajinovic displayed excellent consistency, restricting his opponent to just two aces in the first, but Nadal turned on the style at vital moments.

The Spaniard was dominant on his second serve. Nadal won 75 per cent after his first service, displaying the world-class variation present in his game.

The 27-year-old was courageous and showed little nerves against the No. 2 seed, but he couldn't match Nadal's top level. 

The second set followed suit, and Nadal always appeared in control of his own destiny.

The three-time champion was smooth as he broke his opponent's serve early in the second, and the match concluded at a canter.

Krajinovic continued to do his best to fight his way back into contention, but Nadal cruised past the finishing post to make it to the last eight.