3 days ago
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MIAMI — Novak Djokovic turned on the style to take his place in the Last 4 of the Miami Open with an impressive 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over American Sebastian Korda, becoming the oldest man to reach a Masters 1000 semifinal.
The 37-year-old Serb made a strong start against Korda, breaking early to get a first set advantage that he never let slip but Korda showed great resilience in the second set, taking the contest to a tie-break.
But the fourth seed, looking for his seventh Miami Open title but first since 2016, again came up strong, sealing the win with a powerful ace.
Djokovic, who will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Friday, had no doubt what had been the key to his success after winning 84 percent of his first-serve points.
“One word, serve. I was serving very well, probably the best serving performance, not just here, but in a long time,” he told reporters.
A victory at Miami would be a landmark 100th singles title for the 24-time Grand Slam champion and he said he’s glad to be refinding a top level.
Czech teenager Jakub Mensik marched into his first Masters semi when he defeated France’s Arthur Fils 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
Mensik, ranked 54th in the world, will next face American third seed Taylor Fritz, who came through an enthralling battle with Italian Matteo Berrettini with a 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5.
