The second seed, who is a six-time champion at the Aviation Club, defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-3 in 60 minutes during the night session.
“I'm very happy how the match went," said Federer. "I think it was a good quality match from my side. I think Fernando played well for spells, but I think I was quite consistent."
Verdasco led 4-1 in the first set, producing a series of stunning winners to keep Federer on the back foot. But Federer regrouped to win five straight love service games – 20 points – to clinch the 30-minute opener.
“It's not the first time it's ever happened to me, but it's a great comeback because I did feel that Fernando was hitting the ball well and came out and played very committed [and] serving well," added Federer.
Federer hit four aces and is now 11 aces away from striking the 9,000th ace of his career. He won 83 per cent of his first service points against Verdasco to reach the last eight.
On 11 January, the 33-year-old Swiss became only the third player in tennis history (after Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl) to record 1,000 match wins with his 83rd title at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp (d. Raonic).
He will play Richard Gasquet on Thursday. Gasquet saved one match point to edge past seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) in two hours and 22 minutes. Bautista Agut led with a break in the third set.
“I'm looking forward to playing against him," said Federer. "Last time we played was Davis Cup final on that Sunday, in front of that big crowd, and it was a lot of pressure. I think this time is going to be a bit more relaxed going in."
Federer leads Gasquet 13-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Their most recent clash came in last year’s Davis Cup final, which Federer won 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
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