New York: Rafael Nadal edged closer to a place in his first US Open final after thrashing fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The world number one, who would complete the collection of grand slam titles with a victory at Flushing Meadows, had few problems wrapping up his fourth straight-sets win of this year's championship.
The start was delayed due to a backlog of matches and did not finish until early on Wednesday morning, but the result appeared a foregone conclusion from the moment Nadal strolled out to the centre court dressed menacingly in an all-black outfit.
His opponent in Thursday's quarter-finals is another Davis Cup team mate, Fernando Verdasco, who advanced the hard way by wearing down David Ferrer 5-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 after almost four and a half hours on court.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, September 08, 2010, 11:59