MONTE CARLO (AFP) - Rafael Nadal moved one victory away from clinching an historic fourth successive Monte Carlo Masters title when he swept aside Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals here on Saturday.
Second seed Nadal won 6-3, 6-2, his 21st consecutive victory at the tournament, and will face either world number one Roger Federer, who he has defeated in the last two finals, or Serbia's Novak Djokovic in Sunday's title clash.
Fourth seed Davydenko had defeated Nadal to win the Miami Masters earlier this year, but he cut a weary figure Saturday having taken almost three hours to win his quarter-final against compatriot Igor Andreev the previous day.
Nadal, bidding to be the first player since New Zealand's Anthony Wilding in 1914 to win four titles in a row, also registered his 97th win in his last 98 claycourt outings.
The 21-year-old Nadal broke to lead 2-1 in the first set when Davydenko served up two successive double faults and broke again to take the opener in the ninth game when the 26-year-old Russian slapped a sloppy forehand wide.
Davydenko would have been resigned to his fate in the third game of the second set when he played a prefectly-weighted volley only for Nadal to sprint from the far corner and scoop the ball back past the bemused, wrong-footed Russian.
The Spaniard went ahead 3-1 with a deep forehand pass but Davydenko clung on to hit back to trail 2-3 before Nadal's superior defensive qualities allowed him to break again at 4-2.
Davydenko then wasted three break points in the seventh game as Nadal went to 5-2 before the champion wrapped up the win on his second match point when his opponent hit a dispirited forehand long.
Top seed Federer takes a 5-2 career lead over fifth-seeded Djokovic but the 20-year-old Serb has won the last two.
That included a straight sets demolition of the Swiss star in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before Djokovic went on to clinch a first Grand Slam title.
Federer has won their only meeting on clay which was here in 2006 when he got the better of a three-setter in the first round.
