A dominant Rafael Nadal broke Richard Gasquet's resolve and eased into the Rome Masters final with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over the 16th seed here on Saturday. Taking an 8-0 record against Gasquet into this match, the world number one survived some nervous moments in the first set before completing a comprehensive win with a lop-sided second set.
It took the Spanish 24-year-old's record at this tournament to 31 wins and just one loss - in 2008 against Juan-Carlos Ferrero - as he aims for a sixth title in seven years here. "I'm not going to be stupid, I prefer to play Murray," admitted Nadal. "Djokovic beat me the last three times and I'm not someone who wants revenge so it's better to play Murray.