Nadal downs Federer

Federer was never at the races on Stadium Court as a sloppy and oddly lethargic performance made Nadal's job far easier than he could have expected.

The Swiss made 38 unforced - and uncharacteristic - errors as he struggled terribly with his usually reliable forehand.

The imperious Nadal, in stark contrast, had no such problems as he registered his 15th win over Federer in the 23rd instalment of their rivalry.

The Spaniard, whose service game was particularly brutal, will now meet world number two and second seed Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final after the Serb brushed aside the challenge of Mardy Fish 6-3 6-1 earlier in the day.

"I think I played a very, very good match, very solid and serious. In the first set especially I think I played very, very well," Nadal said.

"In the second set I think he played worse. He had more mistakes than usual. He tried to play shorter points, so I think second set he didn't play well."

With the sun setting on Key Biscayne, it did not take long for Nadal to breach Federer's defences, the left-hander breaking for the first time in just the third game of the match as Federer made early inroads into that high unforced error count.

Nadal ended the first set strongly, claiming eight of the last 10 points to break for a second time and take the opener 6-3.

A slight wobble in the first game of the second set saw Nadal forced to save a break point before holding, and he went on to use that momentum to break Federer at the next time of asking.

That proved to be Federer's only chance to get back into the match and, with the sixteen-times Grand Slam winner suffering a real off day, Nadal duly capitalised, breaking for a final time in the eighth game of the second set to seal what was a surprisingly comprehensive victory over his old foe.

"He played tough and he played good when he had to and I didn't do that. So it's disappointing for me," said Federer.

"I didn't think I served poorly, but Rafa did well and got a lot of balls back.

"I was just not good on the offensive tonight, and that kind of took all the opportunities away to create something."

Nadal has never won the title in Miami and will be hoping for revenge against Djokovic following the Serb's victory in the final at Indian Wells a fortnight ago.

"He's winning all his matches very easily. He hasn't lost a match this year, so we'll see is what's going to happen. He's playing fantastic tennis," Nadal added.

"I've got to play very well all the match if I want to have any chance. I have to play aggressive tennis and I have to play all the points, and that's what I (am) going to try to do."