Novak Djokovic won 12 of the last 14 games of his match against Lorenzo Musetti to crush the Italian 6-2, 6-2 and reach the quarterfinals of the Miami Open in his best performance since the Australian Open.
The momentum in the rain-delayed match seemed to swing in Djokovic’s favour when he complained to the chair umpire in the opening set over a serve clock warning.
That frustration seemed to spark the Serbian, who broke the next game for a 4-2 advantage and never looked back in the presence of an adoring crowd that included tennis greats Serena Williams and Juan Martin del Potro.
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Six-time tournament champion Djokovic crushed an exquisite backhand winner for a 5-2 second-set lead and sealed the win when Musetti double-faulted on match point.
Next up for fourth-seeded Djokovic is American Sebastian Korda, who prevailed 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 over veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils earlier in the day.
Korda lost a thrilling three-setter to 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in their only previous meeting in the Adelaide final in 2023.
Argentine Francisco Cerundolo upset three-time major finalist Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinal for the third time in four years.
Cerundolo never faced a break as he pummeled the fifth-seeded Norwegian with six aces and 21 winners, setting up a meeting with 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated home hope Brandon Nakashima 6-4 7-5.
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