Novak Djokovic delivered an impressive performance to reach the semi-finals of the Miami Open, defeating American Sebastian Korda 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
The 37-year-old Serb, who is now the oldest man to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final, attributed his success to his strong serving, which earned him 84% 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,” Djokovic told reporters.
“Eleven aces, when I needed to find the first serve. It makes life easier on the court when you are feeling your serve.”
Djokovic, who is seeking his seventh Miami Open title and first since 2016, will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals.
A victory in Miami would mark a landmark 100th singles title for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“I am obviously playing the best tennis I have played in quite some time. It’s great when I experience tournaments like this and performances like this. It motivates me and encourages me to keep going for more,” Djokovic said.
In other quarter-final matches, Czech teenager Jakub Mensik marched into his first Masters semi-final with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 win over France’s Arthur Fils.
Mensik, ranked 54th in the world, will next face American third seed Taylor Fritz, who came from behind to defeat Italian Matteo Berrettini 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5.
“It feels incredible. I think the biggest result so far in my career, so I’m glad I just kept going since the first round,” Mensik said.
Fritz, who saved six match points in the second set, praised his own resilience in the match.
“Obviously gave myself a lot of chances throughout the match. I wish I could have made it happen in the second set,” Fritz said.
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