Novak Djokovic vs. Dominic Thiem: Score, Reaction from 2016 Miami Open

As the two-time defending champion and winner of four of the past five Miami Opens, it was safe to say top-seeded Novak Djokovic was a prohibitive favorite in Tuesday's fourth-round match against Dominic Thiem.

Despite a magnificent resume at the Miami Masters, Djokovic had to fight off his perky adversary and nine double-faults en route to a 6-3, 6-4 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.  

Not only did Djokovic struggle with the double-faults, but he was also required to save a whopping eight break points in the opening set and 14 of 15 break points for the match. His accomplishing that had to be demoralizing for Thiem.

Chris Goldsmith of the Tennis Talker reacted to Djokovic's resilience as he seized the first-set advantage:

Comparisons such as the one made by the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds encapsulated how devastating Djokovic can be to even the most formidable challenger:

Djokovic did appear to be feeling more pressure than usual against the 22-year-old phenom from Austria. Thiem's heavy groundstrokes and blend of power and proficiency on first serves made for a captivating match that wasn't necessarily as lopsided as the score indicated.

But in every critical point in the opening set, the heavy favorite found a way to win. BBC 5 Live's David Law reacted to how that dynamic unfolded:

Simon Briggs of the Telegraph was impressed by how bold Thiem was being in the early going:

What really crushed the No. 14 seed's shot at an upset on the Stadium Court at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park—aside from his obvious break-point failings—was his inability to recover on second-serve points. Thiem lost 15 of 21 such points, leaving little margin for error.

That's what Djokovic tends to do to his opponents, though. Thiem was playing a high-enough quality of tennis to hang with the 28-year-old, yet Djokovic eventually wore his less experienced foe down by way of relentless precision, fitness and court coverage.

FiveThirtyEight's Carl Bialik highlighted why the disparity in experience was such a critical factor in Tuesday's marquee showdown:

Once Djokovic went up a break at 2-1 in the second set, the match seemed all but over until he trailed 15-40 when the ball returned to his racket. Thiem missed two golden break chances to get back into the match as Djokovic showed exemplary grit to hold yet again.

At the conclusion of that sequence, the match appeared all but over until Thiem at long last got his first break in 11 tries on Djokovic's seventh double-fault of the day.

Unfortunately for Thiem, that only fueled the 11-time major winner to break right back in the subsequent game while dropping only one point, setting the stage for a straight-sets closeout that wasn't short on drama.

Live Tennis highlighted the peril Thiem faced amid a cruel conclusion in which he blew for more breaks in a marathon final game:

"

If you told #Thiem before the match he'd see 14 break points on #Djokovic's serve, he'd have been happy. And yet... pic.twitter.com/4W07D97Py0

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) March 29, 2016"

Juan Jose Vallejo of Rolling Stone hinted at why Thiem should be feeling optimistic overall in spite of the loss:

Thiem simply didn't have an answer for how to keep Djokovic off balance when his first serve wasn't in play, nor could he turn the tide by exploiting the world No. 1's vulnerability.

The youngster had plenty of firepower on his retorts to Djokovic's service game, but the lack of tactical prowess and timely shot-making cost him dearly in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Stats guru Steph Trudel provided quantitative data from which Thiem can see the silver lining:

This is an invaluable learning experience for Thiem as he continues to endure growing pains before what should be an ascent to the true elite in men's tennis. He's already won five ATP singles titles, including two this year, and must take the positives from facing players like Djokovic rather than dwell on the defeat.

Meanwhile, it's business as usual for Djokovic, who's well on his way to a sixth Miami Masters crown. Next up for the perennial champion is a duel with another all-court hard-hitting player in Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic has never lost to Berdych on hard courts and is 22-2 against him overall, so he figures to have a rather easy time advancing through to the semifinals.

Post-Match Reaction

Djokovic spoke about how well he weathered the numerous break points, saying, per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds, "That's a positive, in a way. I try not to get myself in those positions too much."

Thiem acknowledged how costly the missed breaks were and said, per Reynolds, "With one of 15 break points, you cannot beat anyone, probably. ... For sure, not Djokovic."

The prodigy showed enough potential for Djokovic to heap praise on him afterward, even though he admitted to "struggling a lot" in his own right against his upset-minded opponent.

"He's still very young," Djokovic said of Thiem, per Reynolds. "He's been playing some of his best tennis the last couple of months. We'll definitely see a lot of him in the future."

Note: Match stats and information courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com.