With 87% first serves and just two unforced errors, Djokovic cruised past Dimitrov to set up a shot at his 100th title against Jakub Mensik.
Djokovic serves up a masterclass to cruise into Miami Final
Novak Djokovic has moved to within striking distance of his 100th career title after brushing aside Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets at the Miami Open on Friday.
The Serbian superstar entered the semi-final as the -500 favorite with top tennis betting sites and made light work of Dimitrov, taking just 1 hour and 12 minutes to post a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win.
It was Djokovic’s 13th win in 14 meetings with the Bulgarian and his 79th appearance in an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, reinforcing his dominance on the big stage.
Djokovic came out firing from the outset, dropping just two unforced errors in a near-flawless opening set that took less than 30 minutes to complete.
His serve, which has been a standout weapon all week, hit another level, with the 37-year-old landing 87% of his first serves and winning nearly 80% of those points.
“I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% today,” Djokovic said post-match.
“I know how it feels like to be Isner or Opelka, just make most of your first serves. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.”
“It does help tremendously. It just releases that unnecessary pressure from all the other shots in your game. Then you can kind of put more pressure on the return games on your opponent.”
With the win, Djokovic moves into Sunday’s final against 19-year-old Czech sensation Jakub Mensik, who stunned No.3 seed Taylor Fritz to book his place in a maiden Masters 1000 final.
Mensik, currently unseeded and playing in just his fourth tour-level event, enters the match as a massive underdog according to tennis sportsbooks, with many pricing Djokovic as short as -1000 to lift the trophy.
If Djokovic prevails, he will join Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors as the only players in the Open Era to notch 100 or more ATP titles—a milestone that further cements his legacy as one of the sport’s greatest.
The Miami Open final will be played Sunday night local time, with the Serbian looking to cap off a dominant week and etch another piece of history into his already legendary resume.
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