• Barcelona Open

Blistering Nadal coasts into last four

Rafael Nadal is unbeaten in 30 matches on clay © PA Photos

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World No. 1 Rafael Nadal continued to show his dominance on clay, sweeping aside Gael Monfils in a hugely one-sided quarter-final to storm into the last four of the Barcelona Open.

Nadal, who won the tournament five times in a row between 2005 and 2009, proved far too strong for his French opponent and wrapped up a routine 6-2 6-2 victory in an hour and 15 minutes.

After both men had exchanged service games, Nadal earned his first of four breaks to gain the upper hand, and he continued to apply the pressure as Monfils struggled to gain a foothold in the match.

The Spaniard's superiority was confirmed when he served to love to wrap up the opening set.

Monfils didn't give up, however, and played his part in some brilliant rallies, but ultimately Nadal had too much in his locker and is now just one win away from reaching 500 career victories.

Nadal will play Ivan Dodig in the last four, after the Croatian emerged victorious from a three-set battle with Feliciano Lopez. Dodig saw 11 aces fly past him in a difficult encounter, but he triumphed 6-4 2-6 6-4 to end hopes of a Spain monopoly in the semi-finals.

Fourth seed David Ferrer did bolster Spanish representation in the last four courtesy of a dominant victory over Jurgen Melzer. Ferrer, who finished as runner-up in Monte Carlo, served with authority in the opening set and a single break was all he needed to gain the upper hand. Melzer fought back in the second, earning a break of his own, but Ferrer had too much in his armoury as he finally broke his opponent's stubborn resistance to complete a 6-3 6-3 triumph.

He will now face an all-Spanish showdown with Nicolas Almagro, who had too much craft for Juan Carlos Ferrero. Almagro created 16 break points in the contest, converting five to send a warning to Ferrer.

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