It’s a first semi-final look for Djokovic at this match since 2016 and, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper and Daniil Medvedev amongst a number of top-10 seeds already out, the draw has opened up for the Serb so as to add one other Miami title.
Djokovic effectively took the opening set on Thursday, breaking his opponent’s serve within the eighth recreation.
However the 24-time Grand Slam champion needed to dig deep within the second, with some spectacular serving permitting him to get well from 5-2 all the way down to drive a tie-break and clinch the win.
“Greatest serving efficiency for me to this point,” Djokovic stated. “I used to be fairly nervous since you by no means know what comes from Korda – he is so aggressive and proficient.
“I used to be on my again foot, ready for his error relatively than dictating from the again of the courtroom. After I wanted a primary serve I acquired it however a tense match and nice efficiency.”
Earlier on Thursday, unseeded Czech Jakub Mensik beat seventeenth seed Arthur Fils 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to ebook a semi-final in opposition to American Taylor Fritz, who secured a gruelling 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 win in opposition to Italian twenty ninth seed Matteo Berrettini.
