Rafael Nadal booked his place in round three of the Madrid Masters this afternoon thanks to a 6-3 6-4 win over Benoit Paire.
The opening set proved to be straightforward for world number five Nadal, who required just one break of his French opponent's serve to take the lead.
The next set was much more evenly contested, but in the ninth game Nadal broke to go 5-4 in front, before holding his next service game to seal a spot in the next round of the competition.
He will now take on either Mikhail Youzhny or fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro.
Should Nadal emerge victorious from Sunday's final, it will be the 40th title that he has claimed on clay.
