Roger Federer after beating David Nalbandian 6-4, 6-0 in the Madrid Masters semi-final on Saturday. (Reuters)

Madrid: World No. 1 Roger Federer continued his smooth progress towards his 10th title of the year with an crushing 6-4, 6-0 victory over fourth seed David Nalbandian in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Swiss overwhelmed the Argentine with his usual brand of precision tennis to reach his 14th final of the year and notch up his seventh win in the last eight meetings between the two players.

The world No. 4 looked jaded after two tough three-set matches on his way to the semi-finals and was never able to match the top seed who wrapped up victory in under an hour to take his winning streak to 18 matches.

Meanwhile, Tomas Berdych ended Rafael Nadal’s hopes of retaining his title by producing a near flawless display to beat world No. 2 6-3, 7-6 (as reported in Saturday’s Late City edition) in the quarter finals on Friday.

The only tournament this year in which Federer has failed to make the final was the Masters Series event in Cincinnati in August when he lost to British No. 1 Andy Murray in the second round.

The Madrid Masters is one of the few tournaments to have evaded the grasp of the Swiss who missed the last two editions because of injury.

“I was really pleased with the way I played,” Federer told a news conference.“I was aggressive and he was the best returner I played all week.

Federer issued an early statement of intent by winning the opening service game to love, while Nalbandian looked sluggish after his tough path to the semi-finals and lost his serve in the fourth.

The Argentine rallied briefly, breaking back in the seventh and then saving three break points to draw level at 4-4. Federer continued to play his customary compact tennis and turned the screw at 5-4 up to manufacture two set points with a wonderful forehand pass, grasping the second opportunity with a pin-point shot on to the baseline.

In the second set the Swiss refused to let Nalbandian off the hook and rattled through the games in just 21 minutes to chalk up one of his most emphatic victories over the player who beat him in the final of last year’s Masters Cup.

Against Nadal, Czech No. 1 Berdych was in imperious form at the Madrid Arena, holding serve with confidence and then taking the chances to break his opponent’s and record his third consecutive win over the Spaniard.

The 21-year-old, who beat sixth seed Andy Roddick on way to the quarters, silenced the partisan Spanish fans when he eased his way to the first set.

The 10,000-strong crowd got behind Nadal in the second set, but Berdych kept his cool to keep up the pressure and win through after a tense tie-break. “More important than the victory was the fact that I showed I can beat him in Spain,” said the 11th seed. “I like his game and was happy to use the advantage of the hardcourt to win.”

(Reuters)