Korda nearly defeated Djokovic in their only previous meeting, holding a match point before ultimately falling in the final of the Australian Open lead-up event in Adelaide two years ago, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3), 6-4, and after a quick 29-minute first set on Thursday—in which Djokovic won the last dozen points in a row—Korda gave him another scare in the second set.

The American broke for the first time in the match for a 2-0 lead in the second set, held for 3-0 and ended up hanging onto that lead for much of the set, going up 4-1 and even 5-2. But Djokovic never went away, eventually breaking back and holding for 5-all, and then a few more holds later winning the tie-break to close it out in straight sets.

It was a high quality match from both sides, as both players finished with more winners than unforced errors—Djokovic 18 to 17, Korda 19 to 18.