Roger Federer kept alive his pursuit of an elusive Italian Open title with a routine 6-3, 6-3 win over the sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych on Friday to reach the semi-finals in Rome.
Along with Monte Carlo, Rome is one of only two Masters series titles that the 17-times grand slam champion has never won.
Federer will next face either the seven-times Rome champion Rafael Nadal or the eighth-seeded Stan Wawrinka, who were playing in the night session.
Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded David Ferrer beat David Goffin of Belgium 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 and will meet the winner of a match between the top-ranked Novak Djokovic and the fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori.