diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
index b0ea525655..b0ef5cebc8 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ function forceRegExp(pattern: string): RegExp {
   const match = pattern.match(/^\/(.*)\/([gi]*)$/);
   if (match)
     return new RegExp(match[1], match[2]);
-  return new RegExp(pattern, 'gi');
+  return new RegExp(pattern.replace(/\\/g, '\\\\'), 'gi');
 }
 
 function overridesFromOptions(options: { [key: string]: any }): Config {
diff --git a/tests/playwright-test/command-line-filter.spec.ts b/tests/playwright-test/command-line-filter.spec.ts
index c0a9fe3e72..3a698a9cec 100644
--- a/tests/playwright-test/command-line-filter.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/playwright-test/command-line-filter.spec.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { test, expect } from './playwright-test-fixtures';
+import path from 'path';
 
 test('should filter by file name', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
   const result = await runInlineTest({
@@ -93,6 +94,14 @@ test('should run nothing for missing line', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
   expect(result.failed).toBe(1);
 });
 
+test('should escape path on windows', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
+  const result = await runInlineTest({
+    'foo/test.spec.ts': `pwt.test('fails', () => { expect(1).toBe(2); });`,
+  }, undefined, undefined, { additionalArgs: [path.join('foo', 'test.spec.ts')] });
+  expect(result.exitCode).toBe(1);
+  expect(result.failed).toBe(1);
+});
+
 test('should focus a single nested test spec', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
   const result = await runInlineTest({
     'foo.test.ts': `
diff --git a/tests/playwright-test/test-ignore.spec.ts b/tests/playwright-test/test-ignore.spec.ts
index 2f72663118..049ba76a0e 100644
--- a/tests/playwright-test/test-ignore.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/playwright-test/test-ignore.spec.ts
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ test('should match cli string argument', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
       const { test } = pwt;
       test('pass', ({}) => {});
     `
-  }, {}, {}, { additionalArgs: [`dir\\${path.sep}a`] });
+  }, {}, {}, { additionalArgs: [`dir${path.sep}a`] });
   expect(result.passed).toBe(1);
   expect(result.report.suites.map(s => s.file).sort()).toEqual(['a.test.ts']);
   expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);