Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after defeating Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-2, 6-2.
The match-up experienced delays due to rain, and although the world number five Djokovic, a six-time Miami champion, initially struggled and was broken in the first game, allowing Musetti from Italy to take a 2-0 advantage, he quickly turned the tide.
The 37-year-old Serbian dominated the contest from that moment on, winning nine straight games, clinching the first set 6-2 and taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the second set.
“It was challenging, especially during the first seven or eight games of the match,” remarked fourth seed Djokovic.
World number 16 Musetti, aged 23, provided minimal resistance after securing those initial games as Djokovic advanced effortlessly to prepare for a match-up against American Sebastian Korda.
Korda secured his spot in the quarter-finals earlier on Tuesday with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win over French player Gael Monfils, while Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo also progressed by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud with a score of 6-4, 6-2.
In the audience was 23-time Grand Slam champion and former women’s world number one, Serena Williams.
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Djokovic executed a backhand winner to take a 5-2 lead in the second set and clinched the victory when Musetti committed a double fault on match point.
“When I executed that down-the-line passing shot, I pointed to her and asked if it was alright,” Djokovic explained.
“She replied, yeah, it was fine. If Serena thinks it was fine, then it was exceptional by everyone else’s measures.”
In the women’s competition, world number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the semi-finals in Miami for the first time by defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen with a score of 6-2 7-5.
Sabalenka, who triumphed over ninth-seed Zheng in the Australian Open final this January, made a comeback from 4-2 down in the second set to secure her win.
The 26-year-old Belarusian will compete against Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals, following Paolini’s 6-3 6-2 victory over Magda Linette.
During her quarter-final match against Linette from Poland, Paolini successfully saved seven out of the eight break points she encountered.
After improving her head-to-head record against Zheng to 6-0, Sabalenka expressed that she was “really proud” of how well she managed her emotions.
“Even when things weren’t going well, I stayed present and fought for every point,” she noted.
