Rafael Nadal joined Roger Federer in the last four of the Qatar Open when battling past Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets.

33193 - Nadal finds top gear to beat Youzhny

The Spaniard is carrying a shoulder injury that is set to be rested for a month after the Australian Open, but he showed no signs of discomfort during a 6-4 6-4 win.

Youzhny competed well from the back of the court throughout, but the first set went Nadal's way in 50 minutes - with his serve in top form.

Youzhny crafted his first break point in the second game of the second set, but a brilliant backhand from Nadal staved off the threat.

Nadal looked set to swamp Youzhny when claiming back-to-back breaks of serve. The Russian dug in and broke back and had four chances to break for 5-5, but Nadal withstood the barrage and held firm to progress - producing some of his best play for a number of months in the process.

"I think I played really well," Nadal said. "The end of the match was a bit nervy, but for the rest of the match I am happy and feeling better every day.

"I was moving fast, trying to go to the net, and that is what I have to do to compete against the top players."