Rafael Nadal eased to a 6-4 6-3 victory over Roberto Bautista-Agut in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open on Saturday afternoon.
The top seed made the perfect start to the match as he broke his fellow Spaniard, who struggled to find his rhythm in the early stages of the final-four clash.
Nadal held his advantage until the sixth game of the opener, when Bautista-Agut capitalised on some sloppy play from the world number one to break back and level the scores.
However, parity was only restored for a few moments as Nadal immediately broke back before easing to a 6-4 success in the first set.
Bautista-Agut's confidence clearly took a hit after falling behind, and he seemed powerless to prevent further damage as Nadal stormed into a 3-0 lead in the second set thanks to two breaks of serve.
Nadal was clicking into top gear at the other end of the court, but Bautista-Agut managed to show some signs of fight to get ensure the second set went on for slightly longer than first expected.
However, one final break of serve allowed Nadal to clinch a 6-3 triumph and earn a spot in Sunday's final.
Callum Mulvihill
