March 28, 2025, 05:29 PM ET
Novak Jjokovic will face the rise of third-seeded Taylor Fritz or Czech Jakub-Mensik, winning one from his 100th career singles title after reaching the Miami Open Finals 6-2, 6-3 on Friday.
After breaking to start the match, Djokovic quickly settled down, breaking in the next game, gaining a 4-2 advantage with an erroneous hit forehand by 14th seed Dimitrov.
The Serbs pocketed the first set when the Bulgarian volley sailed for a long time, and he held on the second and took a 3-0 lead.
Djokovic hit a non-returnable serve at the second match point, improving his 13-1 career record against Dimitrov.
South Florida’s 4-seed serving masterclass showed no signs of raising them in the semi-finals. He missed six first serves, pounding five aces into one double fault.
“After the first game I don’t think I did anything wrong, he just played an incredible game to break my serve and I felt it was just playing,” Djokovic told the tennis channel.
“I was playing all the right shots, so he played extra shots… Overall another great straight set victory put him in a great position to fight for the trophy in two days.”
Djokovic played 307 ATP Tour level tournaments in his storied career, winning by 99. Of the 76 Grand Slams he entered, he scored a male record of 24.
The American Jimmy Connors won 109 single titles during the opening era, while Swiss Greroger Federer won 103.
Djokovic will become a favorite for seven Miami Open Crowns in Sunday’s final.
Intermiami star Lionel Messi was watching 37-year-old Djokovic at Hard Rock Stadium.
