Roger Federer set up a rerun of his US Open final against Andy Murray by dispatching rising Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-3 in the Madrid Masters quarter-finals on Friday.
Top seed Rafael Nadal also progressed with a combative 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow-Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.
Nadal broke in the second set with a spectacular winner, racing across the back of the court to drill a passing shot down the line that brought the home crowd to their feet.
The world number one did not seem to be suffering from the shoulder injury his trainer Toni Nadal had said he was carrying.
Nadal next faces France's Gilles Simon or Croatian Ivo Karlovic.
Earlier, world number two Federer aggressively picked off 20-year-old Del Potro's second serves, breaking his rhythm and forcing him into errors.
"I'm playing well so far at this tournament. I haven't been broken and I've played well in key moments," said Federer, who pulled out of last week's Stockholm Open.
"I've got some help with other guys double-faulting, that comes by putting pressure on them and creating chances. It's definitely a sign they are feeling it," the Swiss told reporters.
ESTABLISHED ORDER
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.
The 21-year-old Briton was a bundle of energy and showed little sign of the knee discomfort that had troubled him the day before.
The fourth-ranked Murray swapped early breaks but soon started to make Monfils hurry and broke twice more to take the first set.
However, it was not until midway through the second set the match burst into life.
Murray scampered after everything Monfils threw at him, sent a pair of delicate lobs over his 6-foot-4 opponent and at one point flashed a crosscourt winner that left the athletic Frenchman sprawled on the ground.
At 4-1 down Monfils hung his head in disbelief as his opponent reached a smash and blasted a winner down the line before breaking to love.
The Frenchman later double faulted to gift Murray victory.
