Tennis-Djokovic reaches Miami Open semis, Sabalenka into final

MIAMI (Reuters) -Novak Djokovic is two wins away from capturing a 100th career title after beating Sebastian Korda 6-3 7-6(4), and world number one Aryna Sabalenka cruised into her first Miami Open final with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini on Thursday.

Djokovic let out a triumphant roar after sending down an ace on match point as his former rival and now coach Andy Murray jumped out of his seat to do the same.

The Serbian 24-times Grand Slam champion trailed Korda 5-2 in the second set but broke the American as he served at 5-3 and his precise and powerful serving carried him to the finish.

"I've been serving great the entire tournament but particularly today I needed it in the second to try to come back," Djokovic told Tennis Channel.

"In the tiebreak, a couple of points really decided the winner, 5-4 service winner, ace at 6-4 to finish off the match. So I'll take that as the highlight."

The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday but postponed under ATP rules aimed at avoiding matches dragging on into the early hours of the morning.

Fourth seed Djokovic, gunning for a record seventh Miami Open title and 100th overall, will face 14th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals on Friday.

Unseeded Czech Jakub Mensik was a 7-6(5) 6-1 winner over 17th-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils and will meet American Taylor Fritz in the semis after he outlasted Italian 29th seed Matteo Berrettini 7-5 6-7(7) 7-5.

Third seeded Fritz saw six match points come and go in the second set but converted on his seventh opportunity in the decider to put away Berrettini.

"There's two options, get frustrated about it, lose and then be even more frustrated about all the chances I blew, or regroup and get the win," Fritz said.

"Now I can sleep tonight."

On the women's side, Sabalenka won 77% of her first-serve points, fired down six aces, saved all four break points she faced and converted four of her five break point chances against Italian sixth seed Paolini during the 71-minute match.

The Belarusian top seed, who resides in South Florida and arrived in Miami fresh off a runner-up finish at Indian Wells, has not dropped a set in her five matches.

Up next for Sabalenka will be the winner of Thursday's semi-final between American fourth seed Jessica Pegula and Philippine wildcard Alexandra Eala, who is coming off a stunning upset of Polish world number two Iga Swiatek.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond, Peter Rutherford)