ROME, May 11 (UPI) -- Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Italian Masters Tennis Tournament in Rome.
The surprisingly easy victory against the fifth-seeded Djokovic extended Nadal's clay-court winning streak to 75 straight matches, equaling John McEnroe's record for the longest-ever winning streak on clay.
"I'm playing at my best level for sure," Nadal said. "It was a very nice match and we were playing at 100 percent every point."
"I knew he's the best player in the world on this surface before the match," the Serb said. "What I was trying to do was to be aggressive but patient."
Nadal, the second seed, faces No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko in one semifinal.
Davydenko beat seventh-seeded Tommy Robredo 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Also, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez beat Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-4, and crowd favorite Filippo Volandri of Italy topped 12th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-3.
