Novak Djokovic vs. David Goffin: Score, Reaction from 2016 Miami Open

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic continued his tear through the field at the Miami Open on Friday afternoon as he defeated No. 15 David Goffin 7-6 (5), 6-4 to clinch a spot in the tournament final against either Kei Nishikori or Nick Kyrgios.  

Djokovic improved to 4-0 lifetime against the Belgian and is now one win away from his third singles title of the season after hoisting championship hardware at the Australian Open and BNP Paribas Open.

Goffin—who made his second straight semifinal appearance—was expected to challenge Djokovic after pushing the world's top-ranked player to three sets at last year's ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, and he did just that.

The 25-year-old was steady on serve and kept pace with Djokovic in the scoring column early, and his ability to hang tough on some lengthy rallies kept his hopes alive, as TennisTV on Twitter documented:

Goffin parlayed momentum from a physically exhausting hold on his third service game into a swift break of Djokovic to take a 4-3 lead in the first set, but Djokovic broke right back and appeared stoic as ever en route to quelling danger. 

Djokovic was ultimately able to capture a first-set victory after capitalizing on Goffin's mistakes—including a lazy overhead at the net that ultimately opened the door for the world No. 1 and prevented the underdog from trying to close things out on serve, according to ESPN's Brad Gilbert:

TennisTV on Twitter captured the point that sealed Goffin's first-set fate: 

The one hour, 14 minute opening frame was a grueling duel in a hot and humid setting, and it appeared to drain more energy from Goffin—who simply couldn't match Djokovic's savvy on the baseline or at the net. 

The win was hardly Djokovic's most convincing of the season to date, but the performance proved he was able to overcome some shortcomings on serve and battle past a strong opponent. So while frustration seemed to consume him for brief stretches, Djokovic hunkered down and demonstrated more poise during the match's biggest points to pull away. 

Next up for Djokovic is a championship showdown against the winner of Friday's second semifinal between Kyrgios and Nishikori. But regardless of which player solidifies a place in the Miami Open final, Djokovic will be favored in a big way considering he's yet to drop a set in Key Biscayne, Florida. 

Although he's never played Kyrgios, according to the ATP World Tour's website, Djokovic plays a more composed and controlled style that could give the ultra-energetic and mistake-prone 20-year-old fits. 

A matchup with Nishikori would also favor Djokovic. The world No. 1 is 6-2 all time against Nishikori, including five straight wins dating back to the 2014 Masters 1000. 

Post-Match Reaction

"It was very warm, very humid," Djokovic said, according to BBC Sport. "But I was proud to stay tough in the important moments and come up with some big serves."

"It was not my best match but credit to David for hanging in there," Djokovic added, per BBC. "He hit some lines at important moments and you need a bit of luck but it comes and goes both ways. I always try to make them play an extra shot when opponents attack me."