Roger Federer set up a rerun of his U.S. Open tennis final against Andy Murray by dispatching rising Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 6-3 in the Madrid Masters quarter-finals.
Top seed Rafael Nadal also progressed with a combative 6-4 6-4 win over fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez... he will face Frenchman Gilles Simon who took two hours and 14 minutes to see off the towering Croat Ivo Karlovic 7-6 4-6 7-6.
World number two Federer aggressively picked off 20-year-old Del Potro's second serves, breaking his rhythm and forcing him into errors.
Murray showed why he could be among those to challenge the established order at the top of the rankings by playing one of his best matches of the season to outclass Gael Monfils of France 6-2 6-2.
If Nadal makes the final he will secure his place as the world number one for the end of the year.
