Roger Federer has secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-4 victory over Marin Cilic in Toronto.

It took Federer two hours and 39 minutes to overcome his Croatian rival, despite saving the only two break points he surrendered in the contest.

There was very little to choose between the two players in the opening set, and Federer was unable to pull away from Cilic until a 7-5 triumph in the tie-break.

Cilic refused to allow Federer to ease to the win, saving six match points at 5-5 in the second set before going on to level the scores by winning the tie-break 7-3.

The even nature of the match continued throughout the decider, but it was Federer who finally converted a crucial break point to take a 5-4 lead, and the 32-year-old held his nerve to serve out for a spot in the last eight.