diff --git a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/exchange/EnsureRequirements.scala b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/exchange/EnsureRequirements.scala
index 446571aa8409f..cfb5c5758e8cf 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/exchange/EnsureRequirements.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/exchange/EnsureRequirements.scala
@@ -234,9 +234,15 @@ case class EnsureRequirements(conf: SQLConf) extends Rule[SparkPlan] {
 
     // Now that we've performed any necessary shuffles, add sorts to guarantee output orderings:
     children = children.zip(requiredChildOrderings).map { case (child, requiredOrdering) =>
+      logDebug(s"Checking if sort of ${requiredOrdering} needed on ${child.simpleString}")
       if (requiredOrdering.nonEmpty) {
         // If child.outputOrdering is [a, b] and requiredOrdering is [a], we do not need to sort.
-        if (requiredOrdering != child.outputOrdering.take(requiredOrdering.length)) {
+        val orderings = requiredOrdering zip child.outputOrdering
+        val needSort = orderings.length != requiredOrdering.length ||
+          orderings.exists { case (requiredOrder, childOrder) =>
+            !requiredOrder.semanticEquals(childOrder)
+        }
+        if (needSort) {
           SortExec(requiredOrdering, global = false, child = child)
         } else {
           child
diff --git a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/PlannerSuite.scala b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/PlannerSuite.scala
index c96239e682018..33b2d170f9a54 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/PlannerSuite.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/PlannerSuite.scala
@@ -18,14 +18,14 @@
 package org.apache.spark.sql.execution
 
 import org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD
-import org.apache.spark.sql.{execution, Row}
+import org.apache.spark.sql._
 import org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.InternalRow
-import org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.expressions.{Ascending, Attribute, Literal, SortOrder}
+import org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.expressions.{Ascending, Attribute, Descending, Literal, SortOrder}
 import org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.plans.Inner
 import org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.plans.logical.{LogicalPlan, Repartition}
 import org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.plans.physical._
-import org.apache.spark.sql.execution.columnar.InMemoryRelation
-import org.apache.spark.sql.execution.exchange.{EnsureRequirements, ReusedExchangeExec, ReuseExchange, ShuffleExchange}
+import org.apache.spark.sql.execution.columnar.{InMemoryRelation, InMemoryTableScanExec}
+import org.apache.spark.sql.execution.exchange._
 import org.apache.spark.sql.execution.joins.{BroadcastHashJoinExec, SortMergeJoinExec}
 import org.apache.spark.sql.functions._
 import org.apache.spark.sql.internal.SQLConf
@@ -37,6 +37,14 @@ class PlannerSuite extends SharedSQLContext {
 
   setupTestData()
 
+  private def sortCount(plan: SparkPlan): Int = {
+    plan match {
+      case SortExec(_, _, child, _) => 1 + sortCount(child)
+      case InMemoryTableScanExec(_, _, relation) => sortCount(relation.child)
+      case _ => plan.children.map(sortCount).sum
+    }
+  }
+
   private def testPartialAggregationPlan(query: LogicalPlan): Unit = {
     val planner = spark.sessionState.planner
     import planner._
@@ -416,7 +424,7 @@ class PlannerSuite extends SharedSQLContext {
   }
 
   // This is a regression test for SPARK-11135
-  test("EnsureRequirements adds sort when required ordering isn't a prefix of existing ordering") {
+  test("EnsureRequirements adds sort when required ordering isn't prefix of existing ordering") {
     val orderingA = SortOrder(Literal(1), Ascending)
     val orderingB = SortOrder(Literal(2), Ascending)
     assert(orderingA != orderingB)
@@ -471,6 +479,81 @@ class PlannerSuite extends SharedSQLContext {
     }
   }
 
+  test("EnsureRequirements adds sort when ordering columns same but diff direction") {
+    val orderingA = SortOrder(Literal(1), Ascending)
+    val orderingB = SortOrder(Literal(1), Descending)
+    assert(orderingA != orderingB)
+    val inputPlan = DummySparkPlan(
+      children = DummySparkPlan(outputOrdering = Seq(orderingA)) :: Nil,
+      requiredChildOrdering = Seq(Seq(orderingB)),
+      requiredChildDistribution = Seq(UnspecifiedDistribution)
+    )
+    val outputPlan = EnsureRequirements(sqlContext.conf).apply(inputPlan)
+    assertDistributionRequirementsAreSatisfied(outputPlan)
+    if (outputPlan.collect { case s: SortExec => true }.isEmpty) {
+      fail(s"Sort should have been added:\n$outputPlan")
+    }
+  }
+
+  test("EnsureRequirements doesn't add sort with cached sorted table") {
+    withSQLConf(SQLConf.AUTO_BROADCASTJOIN_THRESHOLD.key -> "-1") {
+      withTempTable("t1", "t2") {
+        val df = Seq(
+          (1, 1),
+          (3, 3)).toDF("k", "v")
+        val df2 = Seq(
+          (1, 2),
+          (3, 3)).toDF("k", "v")
+
+        df.filter("k > 0").repartition(2, df("k")).sortWithinPartitions(df("k"))
+          .registerTempTable("t1")
+        sqlContext.cacheTable("t1")
+        df2.filter("k > 0").repartition(2, df2("k")).sortWithinPartitions(df2("k"))
+          .registerTempTable("t2")
+        sqlContext.cacheTable("t2")
+
+        val joined = sqlContext.sql(
+          "select t2.v from t1 inner join t2 on t1.k = t2.k where t2.v < 10")
+        val outputPlan = joined.queryExecution.executedPlan
+        assert(
+          sortCount(outputPlan) == 2,
+          s"Extra sort should not have been added by SortMergeJoin:\n$outputPlan")
+
+        assert(joined.collect.toSeq == Seq(Row(2), Row(3)))
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  test("EnsureRequirements doesn't add sort with different column capitalization") {
+    withSQLConf(SQLConf.AUTO_BROADCASTJOIN_THRESHOLD.key -> "-1") {
+      withTempTable("t1", "t2") {
+        val df = Seq(
+          (1, 1),
+          (3, 3)).toDF("k", "v")
+        val df2 = Seq(
+          (1, 2),
+          (3, 3)).toDF("k", "v")
+
+        df.filter("k > 0").repartition(2, df("k")).sortWithinPartitions(df("k"))
+          .registerTempTable("t1")
+        sqlContext.cacheTable("t1")
+        // upper case K
+        df2.filter("k > 0").repartition(2, df2("k")).sortWithinPartitions(df2("K"))
+          .registerTempTable("t2")
+        sqlContext.cacheTable("t2")
+
+        val joined = sqlContext.sql(
+          "select t2.v from t1 inner join t2 on t1.k = t2.k where t2.v < 10")
+        val outputPlan = joined.queryExecution.executedPlan
+        assert(
+          sortCount(outputPlan) == 2,
+          s"Extra sort should not have been added by SortMergeJoin:\n$outputPlan")
+
+        assert(joined.collect.toSeq == Seq(Row(2), Row(3)))
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   test("Reuse exchanges") {