Rafael Nadal powered into the US Open semifinals and kept alive the possibility of a matchup with Roger Federer, overwhelming Russian teenager Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday.
The top-seeded Nadal wrapped up the rout in just more than 90 minutes, then waited to see whether he would finally face his longtime rival in the only Grand Slam tournament where they have never met.
Federer was to play No. 24 seed Juan Martin del Potro later Wednesday in a matchup of former champions. This is the sixth time at the US Open that Nadal and Federer have each been one victory away from meeting.