• Madrid Masters

Nadal looking invincible as world No. 2 spot edges closer

Rafael Nadal will move back to the world No. 2 spot by reaching Sunday's final © Getty Images

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Rafael Nadal continued his fine record of dropping only one set on clay this season as he swept aside France's Gael Monfils 6-1 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters.

Nadal was in sparkling form from the start against Monfils and surged ahead with a number of eye-catching winners off both flanks to claim the opening set. The world No. 3's serve was on fire as he dropped four points on serve in an extremely one-sided first set. By contrast, Monfils won half of his 28 service points.

Nadal will move ahead of Novak Djokovic to No. 2 in the world if he reaches Sunday's final, and the size of the task facing Monfils in the face of that incentive was an enormous one. In 12 clay court matches this year prior to Friday's encounter, Nadal has held serve in 102 of 106 games, and his overall clay court record stands impressively at 192-16.

Having claimed the driving seat, Nadal gave his French opponent little basis from which to attack in the second set with a string of line-clipping groundstrokes. Monfils, to his credit, summoned the strength to come out fighting and battled bravely to hold serve under great pressure in his first two service games of the second set.

The world No. 18, perhaps playing a little too deep behind the baseline, forced two break points in the fourth game but failed to convert the opening as Nadal opened up the court with three angled forehands of individual merit. Then, in the seventh game, Nadal outlasted his foe in a lengthy point to claim the break that set up victory.

Nadal will now face compatriot Nicolas Almagro in the last four after the unseeded Spaniard beat world No. 28 Jurgen Melzer. Almagro will contest his first semi-final of the season after a 6-3 6-1 victory.

Roger Federer battled back against Ernests Gulbis © Getty Images

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Roger Federer came through yet another tough match against Ernests Gulbis, recovering from a set down to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

Federer lost to Gulbis two weeks ago in the first round of the Rome Masters, and he appeared to be on his way to a similar fate after the Latvian claimed the first set in Madrid. However, Federer produced an epic response to rattle off the second set, before holding his nerve to advance to the semi-finals.

The world No. 1 had held 17 of 18 service games going into Friday's clash, yet Gulbis broke instantly to serve warning of yet another upset. Working behind a strong serve and a smearing forehand, the world No. 34 served out the set - suggesting he could claim only his second victory over a top-10 player in his last 11 attempts.

Federer loves the Madrid event, having appeared in the final in three of the past four years, winning it twice. The Swiss attacked his opponent's first serve from the outset of the second set, winning 80 percent of points on the Gulbis first serve en route to breaking three times to restore parity.

Gulbis had not been used to such treatment, having been broken only once in his last 31 service games, and he upped his resistance in the decider. However, Federer's ability to hit angles in pressure situations made the difference, and a single break in the third meant he will be David Ferrer's semi-final opponent.

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