Rafael Nadal wins to set up Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final in Paris at French Open
Spain's Nadal, 35, dropped sets for the first time at this year's event but recovered to win 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3.
Top seed Djokovic produced his best level so far in the tournament to beat 15th seed Diego Schwartzman 6-1 6-3 6-3.
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will also meet in the last eight after each claimed straight-set victories.
Sixth seed Alcaraz, 19, sublimely swept aside Karen Khachanov 6-1 6-4 6-4, while third seed Zverev triumphed 7-6 (13-11) 7-5 6-3 despite a patchy performance against qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
The biggest draw of the next round, though will be Nadal and Djokovic meeting for a men's record 59th time.
Fifth seed Nadal fixed up the encounter by beating ninth seed Auger-Aliassime for his 109th win in 112 matches at the French Open.
The 13-time champion looked in danger of suffering his earliest exit at Roland Garros since 2009 when 21-year-old Auger-Aliassime showed quality and composure to force a fifth set on Court Philippe Chatrier.
It was only the third time Nadal had been taken to a decider on the Paris clay.
In front of a captivated crowd, Nadal demonstrated why he is so special on the court, where he has enjoyed the greatest successes of his career.
Nadal found an extra level when it mattered and used all of his experience to maintain clarity of thought in the decisive moments.
At 4-3 in the decider, he stretched to knock a forehand winner down the line for two break points and converted the second by scampering forward to push in a backhand.
As he prepared to serve for the win, Nadal's name was chanted around Chatrier, and he clinched victory - after almost four and a half hours - on his first match point with some deft touches at the net.
"It was a significant victory for me," said Nadal, who has never lost before the fourth round at Roland Garros.
"I didn't start the match well, I had a lot of opportunities to break, but I couldn't convert. After coming back in the next two, I finished the third much better.
"I'm thrilled with the attitude at the end because I could play more aggressively and go more to the net. That made a difference without a doubt."
An interesting subplot to the match was the presence of Nadal's uncle Toni, who now coaches Auger-Aliassime.
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