"It wasn't easy because the wind was unbelievably difficult," said Nadal. "I had to concentrate hard on my movement as the ball was hard to hit and I think the wind made it difficult for him to serve." Nadal lost a break in the first set, but took the early lead as he swept the tiebreaker.

A break in the first game of the second and third sets provided the cushion for victory, his 50th of the season.

In the semis Nadal will face the winner from Serb fourth seed Novak Djokovic and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus. If he makes it to Sunday's final then it would be the seventh consecutive day on court for him.

Last year, Nadal lost the final to Roger Federer, but if he wins this year, the Spaniard will become the first man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Bjorn Borg achieved the feat in 1980.