Six-time Miami Open champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday evening. At 37 years old, he is now just three wins away from his 100th tour-level title. The impressive performance came in front of Serena Williams and Juan Martin del Potro, who was in his box.
“I was starstruck!” he said about their presence. “It was amazing to see first Delpo, obviously a long-time friend and a rival, so happy to have him around and get his support from the box. It was amazing, it was [the] first time to have Delpo in the box, so I want to thank him really for coming,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “And Serena, that was a surprise. I didn’t know.”
“Actually, when I had that down-the-line passing shot, I pointed to her and asked her whether it was okay. She kind of said, ‘Yeah, it was fine’. If Serena says it was fine, then it was amazing by everyone else’s standards. So yeah, great to have them,” he joked.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray, Djokovic’s new coach, was also on the stands. The match was delayed due to rain, and the Serbian got off to a slow start, being broken in the opening game as Musetti took a 2-0 lead.
However, the 37-year-old Serbian quickly turned the tide, dominating the match from that point. Djokovic won nine consecutive games, closing out the first set 6-2 and racing to a 3-0 lead in the second. He cruised to a comfortable victory and secured a spot in the quarter-finals against American Sebastian Korda.
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Sebastian Korda’s head-to-head against Djokovic
Djokovic and Korda have met only once, in the 2023 Adelaide International 1 final. Djokovic triumphed in a thrilling three-set encounter, winning 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4. Now, the American will have the opportunity for a rematch.
Earlier, Korda advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win over Frenchman Gael Monfils, while Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo also progressed after defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-2.
