Murray is looking super comfortable out there, playing purposely and with patience - and it's paying off. The Scot moves to 15-30 and then 30-4 to bring up a first break point. Nadal dumps another ball in the net to gift Murray the game. It's a dream start for Britain's best.

Murray fires down an ace to seize the first point of the match and then comes out on top in the first baseline exchange to move to 30-0. Another booming serve brings up game point and though Murray dumps a slice in the net, the game is his when Nadal sends a backhand long.

Here we go. Andy Murray to serve.

Laura Lambert:, external So hard for Murray to prepare for this, no coach and no match v Rafa since 2011, but he's come on so much on clay and has chance.

The players have moved onto their serves in the warm up so not long to go, folks.

Earlier in the day, two-time champion Novak Djokovic edged past Spain's fifth seed David Ferrer in three sets to reach the semi-finals.

The Serb, 26, won 7-5 4-6 6-3 at the Foro Italico and goes on to face Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic, who beat Jeremy Chardy 6-3 5-7 6-2.

The winner of this match will play Bulgarian 12th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who went through to the semi-finals when Germany's Tommy Haas retired with a shoulder injury.

As ever, I want to hear from you, so why not fire over your tennis-related chat using the #bbctennis hashtag on Twitter or by texting 81111 (UK only).

The players are out on court, with the Star Wars theme tune blaring out in Rome. Murray, the seventh seed, is wearing a fluorescent yellow top while Nadal has gone for a more understated blue number.

Image source, Reuters

Spain's Rafael Nadal, the world number one: "It's a positive match to play [against Murray] because you play against one of the best player of the world after two tough days. I don't know how he has changed his play. I know he has a complete game but I have to focus on myself."

Image source, Getty Images

Britain's Andy Murray, the world number eight: "With the French Open and Wimbledon coming up it's not a bad thing for me to play against Nadal because I haven't played him for about three years. I've hardly practised with him either. I used to practise with him quite a lot."

Evening all and welcome to live text commentary of Andy Murray v Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open quarter-finals in Rome.

Between 2008 and 2011, Murray and Nadal played each other 15 times, with the Spaniard improving his record to win 13 of their 18 encounters.

Their last match was in the final of the 2011 Japan Open, when Murray dropped just four points in the final set on his way to victory.

Image source, Getty Images

Throughout the two-year partnership between Andy Murray and coach Ivan Lendl, the duo worked on bespoke gameplans to take on the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

They seemed to work, with Murray beating Federer at Wimbledon for the first time at a Grand Slam and then again to win gold at the Olympics. He even beat Djokovic twice in major finals. But during that time he never faced Nadal.

Tonight, having parted ways with Lendl two months ago, Murray gets to put his "Nadal gameplan" into action when he faces the Spaniard for the first time in nearly three years.