diff --git a/src/fmt/fmt_test.go b/src/fmt/fmt_test.go
index 9bec6f3f9e..e6239a51ba 100644
--- a/src/fmt/fmt_test.go
+++ b/src/fmt/fmt_test.go
@@ -1201,6 +1201,14 @@ func BenchmarkSprintfTruncateString(b *testing.B) {
 	})
 }
 
+func BenchmarkSprintfSlowParsingPath(b *testing.B) {
+	b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
+		for pb.Next() {
+			Sprintf("%.v", nil)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 func BenchmarkSprintfQuoteString(b *testing.B) {
 	b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
 		for pb.Next() {
diff --git a/src/fmt/print.go b/src/fmt/print.go
index 2bd88f95a2..d1c99c1cd3 100644
--- a/src/fmt/print.go
+++ b/src/fmt/print.go
@@ -1067,8 +1067,11 @@ formatLoop:
 			break
 		}
 
-		verb, w := utf8.DecodeRuneInString(format[i:])
-		i += w
+		verb, size := rune(format[i]), 1
+		if verb >= utf8.RuneSelf {
+			verb, size = utf8.DecodeRuneInString(format[i:])
+		}
+		i += size
 
 		switch {
 		case verb == '%': // Percent does not absorb operands and ignores f.wid and f.prec.