MIAMI GARDONS, Fla. — Novak Djokovic is finding higher gear in South Florida after a slow start until 2025.
Djokovic, who was aiming for his seventh Miami Open title, sent an hour and 24 minutes in the quarterfinals on Thursday, 6-3, 7-6 (4). The match has been postponed from Wednesday night. Because the quarterfinals for Jessica Pegra and Emma Radukanu women ran after 11pm and began around midnight against the new ATP rules.
Djokovic, 37, will advance to the semi-finals on Friday, facing Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. He’s 12-1 against Dimitrov, who reached the tournament finals in 2024.
Jjokovic, who won all six titles at the previous venue of the tournament at Key Biscayne, has won his 100th professional title.
“Overall, I’ve played very well all week,” Djokovic told the Tennis Channel after the match.
Fans from Hard Rock Stadium cheered for Djokovic and chanted his name despite him facing American enemies, Djokovic tied up in the second set from 4-1 to win with a tiebreaker.
He offered an ace at match points and finished with an 83 first service percentage against 24th seed Corda. Djokovic screamed after his victory, strumming his racket like a violin.
Djokovic, who holds the record record for 24 Grand Slam titles, has been repealed this year, which began with his injury retirement at the Australian Open in January. Earlier this month, Djokovic lost his first match in the botics Van des Andschulp in this “Sunshine Double” first fight at the Indiana Wells.
Korda, son of Grand Slam champion Petrukorda, who grew up in Bradenton, Florida, of the Tennis Academy, defeated a top-10 opponent with a Stefanoszitz pass early in the tournament, playing at the perfect level to build a 4-1 set lead before Djokovic discovered.
No in the first women’s semi-finals. One-seeded Aryna Sabalenka routed sixth seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 in 71 minutes to advance to the first Miami Open Final.
Parini, a 2024 French open finalist, spent some of the afternoon grinning at Sabalenka’s clever shot-making, saying, “What a day.”
Belarus’ Sabalenka was efficient at converting four of five breakpoints, knocking 31 winners into just 12 forced errors.
As Paolini tried to mount a comeback in the second set and closed the double breakpoint 4-2, 15-40, Sabalenka closed the game with a hit with three open court winners and ACE.
With her best show at the Miami Open, Parini couldn’t compare to Sabalenka’s brilliance, which has not dropped a set before in the tournament.
“I was very focused and I think everything went smoothly,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka will face the winner of the semi-finals on Thursday night between Philippine Pegra and teenager Alexandra Eerra.
Sabalenka was asked if she would like to watch a game in Miami, where she currently lives, or go out in Miami. “I usually go to dinner, but the rest is always on TV and tennis.
In the first men’s quarterfinals of the day, unseeded 19-year-old Jakub Mensik defeated 17-seeded Arthur Fils 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. Mensik reached his first semifinals in an ATP 1000 point level event.
Mensik of the Czech Republic squealed the tiebreaker and struck a 4-0 lead in the second set to knock out the 20-year-old Frenchman. Mensic, 54th, hit 13 aces and a cross-court forehand winners, finishing the match in 75 minutes.
Mensic will face the winner of the Taylor Fritz Matteo Berettini quarterfinals on Thursday night.