World tennis number one Rafael Nadal will face his great rival Roger Federer for a place in the final of the Madrid Masters tournament, while the in-form Serb Novak Djokovic will face Brazilian Tomaz Bellucci in the other semi-final.
Defending champion Nadal marched into the semi-finals after snuffing out any challenge from Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-2 6-2 in little more than an hour for his 36th straight victory on clay, his last loss coming in the fourth round of the 2009 French Open to Robin Soderling.
The Spanish king of clay, who's seeking his third title in less than a month, will renew his rivalry with Federer in the final four after the Swiss great saw off fifth seed Soderling 7-6 6-4 in breezy conditions in the Magic Box arena, his 16th win in 17 matches against the Swede.
It's the third straight Madrid final between the pair, with Federer winning in 2009 and Nadal gaining revenge last year.
Nadal and Federer have 26 grand slam singles titles between them.
Second seed Djokovic beat sixth seed and Auckland champion David Ferrer, another Spaniard, 6-4 4-6 6-3 to book his spot against Belluci, who became the first Brazilian into the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 since three-time Roland Garros champion Gustaveo Kuerten in 2003, thanks to a defeat of Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych 7-6 6-3.
