Rafael Nadal produced another clay-court masterclass to beat Bulgarian fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov and reach his 12th Monte Carlo Masters final.
The Spaniard, 31, has won 34 straight sets on his favoured surface after a 6-4 6-1 semi-final victory.
Nadal will play Kei Nishikori in the final after the Japanese world number 36 beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Victory for Nadal will be a record-extending 11th triumph at the event and keep him at world number one.
Nadal needs to win the Masters 1000 tournament, one of the highest-ranked ATP Tour titles after the Grand Slams, to prevent Roger Federer overtaking him.
