Four seed Novak Djokovic continues his quest for a record seventh Miami Open title (100th career ATP trophy) after toppling Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-1, 7-6(1) in one hour and 45 minutes, setting a meeting with 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who took down Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime earlier on Sunday.
In his on-court interview, he commented: “I started off really well, 6-1, very similar to the first match two days ago. Things got complicated in the second. I broke his serve, he rebroke my serve, and then we were kind of going toe-to-toe.
“I had some chances at 4-4, but it was fair to take the second set to a tiebreak. Then, like two days ago, a perfect tiebreak. Great serving when I needed to, and overall, just pleased to get through.”
Competing in the Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2019, Djokovic stepped into Hard Rock Stadium to face the lucky loser for the first time at tour level.
The world No. 5 set off to a fast start, breaking early and holding after firing an ace to secure a 3-0 lead.
As the opener wore on, he took control of play to turn the set into a one-sided affair, getting the better of the Argentine player in the longer points while staying the course.
A double break in the sixth game would pave the way for the Serbian to comfortably serve for the set, coming out on top 6-1 after 34 minutes without facing a single break point.
Wise on the return, he recorded a return rate of 258 compared to his adversary’s 81.
Carabelli regrouped to set off the second set on top, raising his level substantially,
On the other side of the net, Djokovic began to show signs of frustration; nevertheless, he found the breathing room he needed to break his opponent in the third game.
Then, the world No. 65 rushed to break straight back and held at love, winning eight consecutive points, mixing his shots with accuracy.
At this moment, the 37-year-old had dropped his intensity, and his rival did not miss the chance to capitalize on the Belgrade-born mistakes.
A physical battle at deuce set the tone of a highly competitive ninth game, in which the Argentine fought hard to fend off two break points, holding his nerve to surge to a 5-4 lead.
Opposite to his performance in the first set, the 25-year-old built momentum, prevailing when playing the longer points.
For his part, the 24-time major champion followed to serve to stay in the set at 5-6, forcing a second set tiebreaker, flawless on service at the big moments.
Then, he raised to a double mini-break advantage, charging to seal the set, claiming his 411th match win at Masters 1000 events to secure his spot in the round of 16.
He hit 18 winners against 24 unforced errors compared to Carabelli’s 15 and 20, respectively.
Moreover, he won 78 percent of the points on his first delivery and converted 3 of 7 break points.
Djokovic opened proceedings at the Miami Open presented by Itau with a perfect performance behind his serve to beat Australian player Rinky Hijikata in straight sets, making a triumphant return to Florida.
The player mentored by Andy Murray leads world No. 16 Musetti 7-1 in their series.