Novak Djokovic came through a gruelling encounter with David Goffin on Friday to book his place in yet another Miami Open final.
Djokovic, a five-time champion of this event who has now reached the final of the last 11 Masters 1000 tournaments he has competed in on the ATP Tour, struggled to find his best form in stifling heat, but managed to come through a first-set tie-break.
A solitary success on the Goffin serve thereafter was enough for the world number one to prevail 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, although his opponent is likely to rue a missed opportunity after catching Djokovic on a rare off day.
Goffin adopted an aggressive approach from the outset and deservedly broke for a 4-3 lead, after playing some wonderful strokes in a sixth game that lasted more than 11 minutes.
To his credit, Djokovic regained parity immediately and then came through the subsequent tie-break after Goffin failed to put away the easiest of overhead chances at 4-4.
The underdog continued to pose problems and a rattled Djokovic snapped at the chair umpire before holding for a third time in the second set, feeling a time violation warning was unfair after he had turned his right ankle.
However, Djokovic then claimed a crucial break in the next game and hurried to victory to set up a meeting with either Nick Kyrgios or Kei Nishikori.