Novak Djokovic Miami Open match cancelled and rescheduled with chiefs red-faced | Tennis | Sport
Novak Djokovic’s Miami Open quarter-final against Sebastian Korda was cancelled at the 11th hour because ATP rules prevented the match from taking place. The Serb had been due to play his last eight tie on Wednesday night but will now have to return this afternoon (Thursday) instead.
Djokovic has enjoyed a sold run to the last eight stage, beating the likes of Rinky Hijikata, Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Lorenzo Musetti without dropping a set so far. It’s over one year since Djokovic last secured a tournament victory, having gone the entirety of 2024 without tasting glory on the ATP Tour.
Djokovic and Korda were supposed to have got underway after Emma Raducanu‘s tie against Jessica Pegula, but that match went deep into a third set, meaning the cut-off point for the day’s final start time had been missed. ATP rules state that matches aren’t permitted to begin after 11pm, leading to the Korda vs Djokovic quarter-final having to be rescheduled.
The organisers had already been on the backfoot after persistent rain interrupted Tuesday’s play, with Arthur Fils vs Alexander Zverev forced into Wednesday’s schedule as a result. Couple that with Raducanu and Pegula playing out an epic on the main court in Miami, and it meant they simply just ran out of time.
Unfortunately for Raducanu, her mesmerising run at the Miami Open came to an end against the American, with Pegula triumphing 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6. The Brit had, at one point, been seen by the doctor, with Raducanu explaining the impromptu health check during her post-match debrief.
She stated: “I just felt really dizzy. I felt faint. I don’t know, it was very humid out there and we have a long wait, so maybe just an accumulation, and just physical points as well and there were long rallies and heavy conditions, but yeah I don’t know how I kind of regrouped in that second set, but in the third I definitely struggled a little bit.”
Elsewhere on Day Nine, Alex Eala continued her sensational form with another statement win, this time against five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. The teenager defeated Swiatek in straight sets to set up a semi-final against Raducanu’s victor, Pegula.
The winner of that tie will face either Aryna Sabalenka or Jasmine Paolini in the final, whereas over in the men’s draw, Grigor Dimitrov became the first ATP player to reach the semi-finals with a 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-7 (3-7) victory over Francisco Cerundolo. Unless of any other disruptions, the semi-final line-up should be completed later today, with Arthur Fils vs Jakub Mensik, Korda vs Djokovic and Taylor Fritz vs Matteo Berrettini all to come.
