Rafael Nadal is one step closer to a historic title…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star, a four-time runner-up at the Miami Open, beat unseeded Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals at Key Biscayne to earn his spot in the finals.

Nadal, who lost in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014, is playing in the tournament for the 13th time, making it his longest title drought at any event.

“For me the most important thing is to be in the final,” Nadal told the crowd. “That’s great news for me.”

Nadal’s opponent Sunday will be Roger Federer, who defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (9), 6-7 (9), 7-6 (5) in the other semifinal. The showdown comes 13 years after their first career encounter, also at Key Biscayne.

“My biggest rival,” Federer said. “It feels like old times.”

Said Nadal: “I’m just excited to play against Roger always. He’s a big challenge for me, and I think for everybody.”

Seeded fifth, Nadal eliminated Fognini without facing a break point, and lost only nine of 46 points on his serve.

Fognini, the first unseeded men’s semifinalist since 2007, looked listless at the start in 86-degree sunshine. He finished with 38 unforced errors, compared with 12 for Nadal.

The crowd chanted Fognini’s first name in an attempt to get the Italian going, and flying footwear did the job. Fognini hit a drop shot to cause the sneaker malfunction, laughed at length while Nadal retied his shoe and played better after that.

The second set was up for grabs until Fognini double-faulted to fall behind 6-5. Nadal then served out the match at love.

Nadal improved to 19-4 this year and leads the men’s tour in wins.