A straight sets result for Nadal is slightly misleading as Murray could easily have pushed it to four or even five sets as he enjoyed a whopping 18 break points but only managed to take advantage of three.
Nadal, the top seed who can equal Bjorn Borg's record of six French Open titles if he lifts the trophy, made a blistering start to the match, quickly racing out to a 5-1 lead.
After trading opening service holds, the Spaniard earned the first break points of the match in just the fourth game and, although his first chance went begging, he was quick to secure a second chance before riffling a forehand passing shot down the line to sneak ahead.
With the early match shackles released, Nadal worked Murray around the court, earning himself a second break just two games later when a defensive lob down the line drifted wide from the Brit.
But just when Nadal looked to have the set wrapped up, serving for it at 5-3, Murray stormed back into contention with a break and a hold that left him trailing by just the one game again.
Murray also held break back points in the 10th game, when Nadal served for it for a second time, but the Spaniard this time managed to stop the rot and went on to take the first set with a forehand winner after an hour and two minutes.
The second set was equally topsy-turvy, both men holding serve with ease the first four times before four straight breaks kept the crowd enthralled.
Nadal twice eked out a marginal lead but both times Murray came back at him immediately as the two men struggled to hold serve in the increasingly gusty conditions.
Again it was Nadal who snuck out in front when he broke for a third time, in the 11th game, with yet another forehand winner.
And this time the Spaniard was able to make his advantage tell as he promptly served out the set to love, landing another forehand winner down the line.
Nadal dealt a further blow to the Murray spirit in the first game of the third set when he broke again; a looping forehand pushing the Brit back behind the baseline before an easy cross court forehand winner sealed it.
From there it looked as though the Spaniard, who has still lost just the one match at Roland Garros, to Robin Soderling in 2009, had the match wrapped up as he held serve without too much trouble.
Murray had one last chance to try and get back into the match, enjoying yet more break points in the eighth game.
But Nadal, celebrating his 25th birthday, saved all four of them, holding with a forehand winner, before going on to serve out the match to love two games later when Murray netted a running forehand.
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