Novak Djokovic continued his dominant record against Tomas Berdych with a 6-3, 6-3, win in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters.
The encounter between the two was a sharp contrast to Djokovic’s previous match against Dominic Thiem, which was a somewhat lackluster performance from the Serbian.
The world No.1 began proceedings convincingly by converting his fourth break point after an unforced error from the Czech handed him a 2-0 lead. The break by Djokovic was the first of a series during a tense start to the match. As Berdych retrieved the break immediately, he was dealt another blow from the top seed after a flawless cross-court forehand put the Serbian back in command to lead 3-1. The second break was critical to the outcome of the opening set as the world No.7 failed to find his way to come back in the match, an all too familiar scenario for Berdych. The set was sealed after a heavy forehand shot from Djokovic forced his opponent to return the ball out.
During the second set, Djokovic had another issue to contend with on the Miami court, his back. The world No.1 received a medical time out to treat spasms in his back. Despite the scare, it did little to disrupt Djokovic’s momentum as he eased through the second set without facing a break point. In contrast Berdych’s serve faltered at the start of the second set and at the crucial end. A backhand slice from the Czech landed out to hand the defending champion two match points. Failing to convert either opportunity, Djokovic had another chance two points later. It was third time lucky for him after another costly unforced error from Berdych handed Djokovic his 26th win of 2016.
The triumph in Miami has extended Djokovic’s impressive win-loss record against Berdych to 23-2 (20-0 on hard courts). In their latest battle, the 11-time Grand Slam champion produced 10 winners and nine unforced errors. In contrast, Berdych’s error-winner ratio was a disappointing 3-1 as he produced 45-15. Speaking about his performance in an on-court interview, Djokovic praised his opponent and dismissed any concerns about his back.
Djokovic is now just two wins away from equalling Andre Agassi’s record of six Miami Masters titles. In the next round he will play Belgium’s David Goffin, who defeated Gilles Simon in his quarterfinal match. Djokovic has played the 25-year-old on three previous occasions on the tour, winning all of them.
