diff --git a/pitest-entry/pom.xml b/pitest-entry/pom.xml
index d92a87417..67089b7df 100644
--- a/pitest-entry/pom.xml
+++ b/pitest-entry/pom.xml
@@ -129,6 +129,13 @@
 			<artifactId>asm-util</artifactId>
 			<version>${asm.version}</version>
 		</dependency>
+
+		<dependency>
+			<groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
+			<artifactId>commons-text</artifactId>
+			<version>1.10.0</version>
+		</dependency>
+
 		<dependency>
 			<groupId>org.pitest</groupId>
 			<artifactId>pitest</artifactId>
diff --git a/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporter.java b/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporter.java
index 300681211..c78d69b52 100644
--- a/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporter.java
+++ b/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporter.java
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.apache.commons.text.StringEscapeUtils;
 import org.pitest.coverage.BlockCoverage;
 import org.pitest.coverage.CoverageExporter;
 import org.pitest.mutationtest.engine.Location;
 import org.pitest.util.ResultOutputStrategy;
-import org.pitest.util.StringUtil;
 import org.pitest.util.Unchecked;
 
 /**
@@ -48,14 +48,14 @@ private void writeLineCoverage(final BlockCoverage each, final Writer out) {
         out,
         "<block classname='" + l.getClassName().asJavaName() + "'"
             + " method='"
-            + StringUtil.escapeBasicHtmlChars(l.getMethodName()) + StringUtil.escapeBasicHtmlChars(l.getMethodDesc())
+            + StringEscapeUtils.escapeXml11(l.getMethodName()) + StringEscapeUtils.escapeXml11(l.getMethodDesc())
             + "' number='" + each.getBlock().getBlock()
             + "'>");
     write(out, "<tests>\n");
     final List<String> ts = new ArrayList<>(each.getTests());
     Collections.sort(ts);
     for (final String test : ts) {
-      write(out, "<test name='" + StringUtil.escapeBasicHtmlChars(test) + "'/>\n");
+      write(out, "<test name='" + StringEscapeUtils.escapeXml11(test) + "'/>\n");
     }
     write(out, "</tests>\n");
     write(out, "</block>\n");
diff --git a/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListener.java b/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListener.java
index 0109b3ee4..57280fa72 100644
--- a/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListener.java
+++ b/pitest-entry/src/main/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListener.java
@@ -35,12 +35,13 @@
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
+
+import org.apache.commons.text.StringEscapeUtils;
 import org.pitest.mutationtest.ClassMutationResults;
 import org.pitest.mutationtest.MutationResult;
 import org.pitest.mutationtest.MutationResultListener;
 import org.pitest.mutationtest.engine.MutationDetails;
 import org.pitest.util.ResultOutputStrategy;
-import org.pitest.util.StringUtil;
 import org.pitest.util.Unchecked;
 
 enum Tag {
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ private String makeMutationNode(final MutationResult mutation) {
   }
 
   private String clean(final String value) {
-    return StringUtil.escapeBasicHtmlChars(value);
+    return StringEscapeUtils.escapeXml11(value);
   }
 
   private String makeNode(final String value, final String attributes,
diff --git a/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporterTest.java b/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporterTest.java
index 8bc3607c5..ac9b33ad8 100644
--- a/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporterTest.java
+++ b/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/coverage/export/DefaultCoverageExporterTest.java
@@ -83,9 +83,26 @@ public void shouldEscapeSpecialCharsInTestName() {
 
     final String actual = this.out.toString();
     assertThat(actual).contains(
-        "<tests>\n<test name='ParameterizedTest[case=&#39;Not so simple quotes&#39;]'/>\n</tests>");
+        "<tests>\n<test name='ParameterizedTest[case=&apos;Not so simple quotes&apos;]'/>\n</tests>");
     assertThat(actual).contains(
-        "<tests>\n<test name='ParameterizedTest[case=\\0 Null-Byte]'/>\n</tests>");
+        "<tests>\n<test name='ParameterizedTest[case= Null-Byte]'/>\n</tests>");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void escapesQuotesBackTicks() {
+    final LocationBuilder loc = aLocation().withMethod("method");
+    final BlockLocationBuilder block = aBlockLocation().withBlock(42);
+    final Collection<BlockCoverage> coverage = Arrays.asList(
+            new BlockCoverage(
+                    block.withLocation(loc.withClass(ClassName.fromString("Foo"))).build(),
+                    Collections.singletonList("`escape this ' quote`"))
+    );
+
+    testee.recordCoverage(coverage);
+
+    final String actual = this.out.toString();
+    assertThat(actual).contains(
+            "<tests>\n<test name='`escape this &apos; quote`'/>\n</tests>");
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListenerTest.java b/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListenerTest.java
index 2137fa204..ac5c4a6d4 100644
--- a/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListenerTest.java
+++ b/pitest-entry/src/test/java/org/pitest/mutationtest/report/xml/XMLReportListenerTest.java
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ public void shouldEscapeGTAndLTSymbols() {
     final MutationResult mr = createdKilledMutationWithKillingTestOf("<foo>");
     this.testee
         .handleMutationResult(MutationTestResultMother.createClassResults(mr));
-    assertThat(this.out.toString()).contains("&#60;foo&#62;");
+    assertThat(this.out.toString()).contains("&lt;foo&gt;");
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public void shouldEscapeNullBytes() {
     final MutationResult mr = createdKilledMutationWithKillingTestOf("\0 Null-Byte");
     this.testee
             .handleMutationResult(MutationTestResultMother.createClassResults(mr));
-    assertThat(this.out.toString()).contains("\\0 Null-Byte");
+    assertThat(this.out.toString()).contains(" Null-Byte");
   }
 
   private MutationResult createdKilledMutationWithKillingTestOf(