Andy Murray will face second seed Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the Australian Open after beating Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Chela tamely handed the Scot a break at 4-2 in the opener and Murray held on despite some error-strewn play.
After saving break points early in the second, Murray went on to dominate, breaking twice as Chela wilted.
The pair swapped breaks in the third but Murray made the decisive break at 4-3 to win in one hour and 50 minutes.
"He taught me a lesson last year and I'm happy to come through," said Murray.
"My whole game is better and physically and mentally I'm stronger. I felt like I served really well and had a bit of rhythm going.
"I haven't dropped a set all tournament and that was by far the best I have played."
Murray has often spoken of his desire to play two-time French Open champion Nadal and his performance against Chela showed just how much it meant to him.
The 19-year-old Scot shifted his mood from calm composure to fiery outbursts as the tempo of the match dictated.
"I'm really excited and if I can play like I did tonight then I think I can keep it pretty close"
Murray had struggled to find his range, making 17 unforced errors in the first set, and looked to be making little impact on the Chela serve until the Argentine's own mistakes let him in.
The 15th seed looked rattled as he squandered four set points in the eighth game but he rallied himself with a stiff talking-to as he closed out the set in 34 minutes.
Murray played a controlled and patient second set, and was successful with 76% of his first serves.
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Some careful defensive play and slashing forehands then saw the Scot break Chela twice as he notched up five straight games to move into a two-set lead.
A fired-up Murray broke Chela immediately in the third but then conceded the break in the next game as his urgency manifested itself in rants directed at his coach Brad Gilbert.
In an intense set, with flashes of high-quality tennis, the duo traded breaks once again before the Scot stole ahead at 4-3 and closed out the match with an unreturnable serve to set up his dream meeting with Nadal on Monday.
"I can't wait," said Murray, who used to practice with Nadal when he trained in Barcelona.
"He's someone I look up to. He's won two Grand Slams and is the next best player to Roger Federer.
"I'm really excited and if I can play like I did tonight then I think I can keep it pretty close."