Rafael Nadal reaches the final of the Miami Open

Rafael Nadal was so eager to reach the final of the Miami Open that he even lost a shoe.

While chasing a shot in the second set of his semifinal match on Friday, Nadal lost his right shoe, along with the point. But that was just a minor stumble: the Spaniard recovered to defeat Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 and advance to his fifth final in Key Biscayne.

Nadal has lost his previous four Miami Open finals in 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014. Playing in the tournament for the 13th time, it is his longest drought in any championship.

"For me, the most important thing was to reach the final," Nadal said. "That's fabulous news."

His opponent on Sunday will be the winner of the other semifinal on Friday between Roger Federer and Nick Kyrgios. On Saturday, Caroline Wozniacki will face Johanna Konta in the women's final.

Federer defeated Nadal in January in the Australian Open final, and easily dispatched him in the recent Indian Wells Masters.

Nadal, the fifth seed, eliminated Fognini without facing a single break point and only lost nine of the 46 points on his serve. The Spanish player has a record of 19-4 this season, with the most wins on the ATP circuit.