Rafa Nadal eased into the semi-finals of the ATP Chennai Open on Friday, setting up a mouth-watering duel against Spanish friend and compatriot, Carlos Moya.

The top-seede had no problem winning against countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2 in a quarter-final that was interrupted by heavy rain for more than three hours after just three games had been played.

Playing fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a senior on the circuit, Rafa exhibited intelligence and did not strain himself or keep moving from one end of the court to the other. Most often, he forced his rival to commit mistakes.

Rafa played to a plan and needed just a single break in the eighth game of the first set. He also gained two breaks in the second set (5th and 7th) before winning the match. The organizers, not being adequately equipped with gadgets like a 'drier' and other implements to get the rain affected courts readied for play, have a tough task on hand to get one singles and a doubles match completed.

The victory kept Rafa on course for his first ever title in a season-opening event ahead of the Australian Open, the latest edition of which starts in Melbourne later this month. "The rain only delayed the match, it was not a distraction," said Rafa. "We see more rain at Wimbledon every year."

Moya, a two-time champion in Chennai in 2004 and 2005, easily disposed off unseeded Frenchman Florent Serra 6-3, 6-4 in the first quarter-final played before rains hit the Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium.

Head to head, Rafa is 4-2 against his 31-year-old mentor Moya, including a victory in the Roland Garros quarterfinals last year.