Novak Djokovic vs. Joao Sousa: Score, Reaction from 2016 Miami Open

After a lengthy first set, Novak Djokovic is moving on to the fourth round of the Miami Open after defeating Joao Sousa, 6-4, 6-1, on Sunday.   

Djokovic improved to 3-0 all-time against Sousa, with this being their first meeting outside of a Grand Slam setting. It also was the most difficult match the world's top-ranked player was in up to this point in Miami. Live Tennis provided the final result once the match ended:

"

Another dominant performance from @DjokerNole - the defending champ def. Joao Sousa 64 61 and is into R4 #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/74rroKpHLD

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) March 27, 2016"

Early on in the first set, Djokovic found himself in a rare position—playing from behind. Despite two quick double-faults, Sousa took a 3-2 lead in the first set and even broke Djokovic's serve once during the early exchange.

But Djokovic, the top-ranked player in the world, established control in a hurry. He took a 4-3 lead in the first set after winning seven of the next eight points. It was a quick turnaround and a sudden reminder of the type of player Sousa was playing against in this third-round matchup, per Live Tennis:

"

How many games will @DjokerNole lose today?

Bet on the match & watch tennis at https://t.co/txueA5D56r pic.twitter.com/vrTnaB8oQv

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) March 27, 2016"

Neither player could take advantage in the eighth game. Both Djokovic and Sousa held the advantage in multiple stints before Sousa finally knotted the set at four all. And just when it seemed Djokovic was on the verge of falling behind in another back-and-forth game, he took a 5-4 lead.

Djokovic breezed through the next game to take the first set after 52 minutes. Jose Morgado from Record Portugal thought Sousa squandered a great opportunity:

Djokovic was able to garner control of the match after five first-set aces while also winning 17 of a possible 25 first-serve points. In total, Djokovic finished with nine aces.

Signs of a letdown from Sousa in the second set didn't seem likely at first. He took the first point in another back-and-forth game before Djokovic steamed through the next two and took a 2-1 lead in the second set.

In the end, Djokovic regained control and won six straight games to move on and continue his quest for a fourth title in 2016. Dating back to his win at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Djokovic has now won seven consecutive matches in straight sets.

Despite coming up short, Sousa showed a lot to the tennis contingent, per Chris Oddo of Tennis Now:

Sousa gave Djokovic a run in the first set and seemed at times like he'd pull off the shocking upset, but he just ran out of gas against the best player in the world on Sunday.

Stats courtesy of MiamiOpen.com.