Rafael Nadal has progressed through to the semi-finals of the Montreal Masters after defeating Marinko Matosevic in straight sets.

The Spaniard was always in control against the Australian, and he recorded a 6-2 6-4 victory in just over an hour.

Two breaks of serve were more than enough in the opening set as the left-hander cruised to a set away from the last four.

Matosevic performed better during his service games in the second set, but Nadal secured the one break that he needed to move on to face Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals on Saturday.