Rafael Nadal shrugged off a controversial doping storm to move closer to a dream Wimbledon title clash against Roger Federer with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Spaniard became the first French Open champion to reach the last four here in the same year since Andre Agassi in 1999 after a dominant victory over his fellow left-hander.

Nadal, the second seed, will now take on Marcos Baghdatis for a place in Sunday's final after the Cypriot knocked out 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt.

The build-up to the match had been overshadowed by a newspaper report linking Nadal with the ongoing doping investigation which

has engulfed Spanish cycling.

He has vehemently denied all allegations of wrong-doing and has already instigated legal action to clear his name.

Rain on Wednesday meant Nadal and Nieminen, the 22nd seeded Finn, had been forced to wait 24 hours to get their quarterfinal underway, but the Spaniard was unperturbed, breaking to lead 3-1 in the first set with a vicious forehand crosscourt pass.

He had the opening set wrapped up after 40 minutes and it wasn't until the second game of the second set that Nieminen managed to carve out a break point.

On Wednesday, Roger Federer was handed the perfect platform for an assault on a fourth consecutive Wimbledon title when he eased into the semifinals while former champion Lleyton Hewitt crashed out.

Federer, who put out the dangerous Croatian Mario Ancic 6-4, 64, 6-4 in a sublime Centre Court demolition, was then buoyed by

seeing Hewitt knocked out by Marcos Baghdatis.

Federer will face Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman for a place in the final, boosted by having won all their previous three encounters and safe in the knowledge that his performance against Ancic was his best of this year's tournament.

Hewitt, the sixth seed, was subdued throughout the two and a half hour Centre Court clash and his service was broken in the opening game in each of the first three sets.

Bjorkman became the oldest Wimbledon semifinalist since Jimmy Connors in 1987 when he overcame Czech 14th seed Radek Stepanek in five gruelling sets.

The 34-year-old Swede saved a match point in a fourth set tiebreak before finally claiming a 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 victory after four hours and three minutes of play that was spread over nearly seven hours because of the two rain interruptions.