Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal to reach final

An inspired Roger Federer has made it through to the final at Indian Wells with a straight-sets win over long-time rival Rafael Nadal.

The victory was the 30-year-old's first outdoor triumph over the Spaniard since 2009.

Federer struck early in the first set as he broke Nadal's opening service game on his way to a 3-0 lead.

Nadal then broke the world number three back as he drew himself level at 3-3, but Federer found the decisive second break before he served out the set 6-3.

The Swiss pinned the Spaniard back for the opening exchanges of the second as he sprayed a number of backhands across court.

He broke the world number two to give himself a 2-1 advantage before another break saw him have the chance to serve out the match.

However, Nadal was typically unwilling to go down without a fight and dug deep to break Federer once more.

Despite the late surge from Nadal, Federer was able to claim the set 6-4 to set up a final showdown with American John Isner.