Rafael Nadal booked his place in Sunday's Rome Masters final with a 7-5 6-1 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Spaniard forced to save no fewer than four break points in first set
Rafael Nadal booked his place in Sunday's Rome Masters final with a 7-5 6-1 win over Richard Gasquet.
The world number one - will next face Novak Djokovic - had to work hard in a well-contested first set that saw him forced to save four break points on his own serve.
Looking for a first ever win over the Spaniard at the ninth time of asking, Gasquet had the top seed in trouble in the fourth game and then twice more in the sixth, though he was unable to make the most of the opportunities.
The set reached 5-5 before Nadal finally made the breakthrough, passing his opponent after spotting that he'd drifted in towards the net.
Gasquet had a chance to hit back in the very next game but once again couldn't capitalise, meaning he found himself a set down for the third successive match on Italian soil.
This time, however, the Frenchman was unable to battle back. He immediately went a break down at the start of the second and then lost his serve again to slip 4-1 behind.
Nadal clinched victory after 94 minutes on court and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Britain's Andy Murray in the other semi-final.
Playing better
The Spaniard, who has won the tournament five times in the past six years, said: "I'm playing better every day.
"He (Gasquet) is playing really well right now and I had to save a few tough situations with my serve. It's been a tough week and I'm happy to be in my sixth final in a row."
Nadal knows it will be tough to take on world number two Djokovic, who continued his unbeaten run this year at the Madrid Open last week by defeating the Mallorcan for the first time on clay.
"He (Djokovic) has beaten me in the last few tournaments and it seems he's unbeatable this year," said Nadal.
"He's in a different league. I've lost my favourite status, so I'll play without 100 per cent pressure."
