World no. 5 Novak Djokovic is through to his eighth Miami Masters semi-final. The six-time champion faced Sebastian Korda in the quarter-final and earned a 6-3, 7-6 victory in an hour and 22 minutes to remain on the title course.
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Like against Musetti in the previous round, the veteran performed at a high level and left the young gun behind in their second duel on the Tour. Novak served at 83% and faced only one break point. He suffered a break at the beginning of the second set and fell 3-0 behind.
However, Korda could not maintain the advantage. He served for the set at 5-3 and experienced a costly break, only the second of the match. Djokovic took charge and sealed the deal in the tie break to move over the top.
They hit a similar number of winners and unforced errors. Novak took 13 points more than his rival thanks to service winners and a 30-24 advantage from the baseline. The veteran forged the advantage in the shortest and mid-range exchanges, while they stayed neck and neck in the most extended ones.
Djokovic found his A-game behind the initial shot in the opening set. He barely lost a point in five service games and kept the pressure on the other side. Sebastian followed that pace early on. The Serb held at love in game five for 3-2 and landed a service winner two games later for 4-3.
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The six-time winner found the range on the return in game eight. He generated three break points and welcomed the rival's forehand error for a break at love and a 5-3 advantage. Novak served for the opener in game nine and produced another impressive hold.
World no. 5 landed a forehand down the line winner for a hold at love, rattling off 12 points and wrapping up the opener 6-3 in 29 minutes. Korda stepped in on the return in the second game of the second set and created two break chances.
He painted a backhand winner on the first, providing a break at 15 and moving 2-0 in front. The American held at love in the third game with a service winner, cementing the break and forging a 3-0 advantage. The younger player fired a forehand winner in the fifth game and moved 4-1 up.
Novak held at love in game six before Sebastian grabbed the next one at 15, opening a 5-2 gap and serving for the set at 5-3. Djokovic kept his composure and created a break chance after an extended rally and the rival's mistake.
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Djokovic drew Korda's error, pulling the break back and gathering confidence. The Serb landed a forehand winner in game ten for a hold at love and 5-5. They served well in the remaining two games and introduced a tie break.
Novak claimed all six points on serve and made the difference with a single mini-break! The veteran landed two service winners for 2-1 and welcomed Sebastian's loose forehand in the fifth point to open a 3-2 advantage.
The veteran landed another unreturned serve in the seventh point, opening a 5-2 advantage and keeping the pressure on the other side. Korda claimed two points on serve, reducing the gap to 5-4 and hoping for chances on the return.
Instead, Djokovic landed another powerful serve for two match points and seized the first with an ace to book his place in the semi-final.
