Murray defeats Nadal to reach the Madrid Masters final.

The world number two player defeated Rafael Nadal on clay for the second time in his career, with a score of 7-5, 6-4, thus advancing to defend his Masters 1000 title in Madrid.

Andy Murray is having a strong second consecutive year at the Madrid Masters. Last year, the Scottish player defeated Nadal in the final to win his first Masters title on clay.

Murray's victory in the semi-finals on Saturday, May 7th, is even more highly regarded than last year's championship. This is because Nadal is now back in top form, with a 13-match winning streak on European clay courts, and consecutive victories in Monte Carlo and Barcelona in recent weeks.

Murray's opponent in Sunday night's final will be either world number one Novak Djokovic or world number six Kei Nishikori.

Murray is on his way to defending his title. Photo: Reuters.

"I think this is a better win for me than I had at this tournament last year," Murray said after the first semi-final.

He continued: “Not many players have beaten Nadal on clay throughout his successful career. To beat him in Spain and on clay is obviously a huge challenge for any player. I’m very happy to have beaten him today. This is a big step forward for me compared to four or five weeks ago, when I lost to him in Monte Carlo. I’m getting back on track.”

Meanwhile, Nadal admitted that Murray was the better player in crucial points during the semi-final. The Spaniard was denied 11 out of 13 break point opportunities. Murray also managed to hit eight aces.

"This was an open and intense match, decided by just a few points. The player who performed better in those crucial points ultimately won," Nadal assessed.

The world number five player added: “Murray made the difference with his serve. I didn’t play my best tennis in this match, but I didn’t play badly either. I played at an average level, and that wasn’t enough to beat Murray.”

Nadal, on his way to winning the Monte Carlo title last month, had to come from behind in the semi-finals after Murray won the first set.

Nadal's winning streak has been brought to a halt. Photo: EPA.

This time, however, the 14-time Grand Slam champion was unable to do the same after also losing the first set 5-7. Murray led 5-2 in the first set, but then allowed Nadal to equalize at 5-5. The Scottish player secured a crucial break to regain the lead at 6-5, before sealing the victory at 7-5.

In the second set, Murray saved eight of the nine break points he faced, and also capitalized on two break opportunities to close out the semi-final after two hours and eleven minutes.

"When Nadal had break opportunities, I think I served very well, and also played very aggressive attacking tennis in those moments to save most of the break points," Murray said.

If Andy Murray fails to defend his Madrid Masters title, he will lose his world number two ranking to Roger Federer.

According to VNE