Novak Djokovic vs. Steve Darcis: Score and Reaction from 2016 French Open

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic's march toward a first career French Open title continued Thursday, as he took down the pesky Steve Darcis in a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 second-round victory at Roland Garros.

According to the International Tennis Federation, Djokovic joined elite company with his 50th career French Open win:

Djoker also furthered his Grand Slam winning streak to 23 consecutive matches by virtue of the triumph, but it didn't come without some challenging moments, as he was charged with 42 unforced errors.

Most, including Jeff Sackmann of TennisAbstract.com, expected Nole to steamroll Darcis because of the Belgian's lack of success on clay:

"

Djokovic should have it easy today. Darcis has never beaten a top-10 player on clay; best win was over #13 Youzhny, almost 10 years ago.

— Jeff Sackmann (@tennisabstract) May 26, 2016"

The Serbian superstar ultimately took care of business in straight sets, but Darcis proved to be a game challenger in the opening set.

After going down 3-0, Darcis won three consecutive games, including a break of Djokovic's serve to tighten things up.

The combatants went shot for shot over the next several games, and Darcis threatened to potentially take the first set with remarkable plays like this one, courtesy of Roland Garros on Twitter:

While it can be easy for overwhelmed opponents to allow Djokovic to take over and dictate the pace, Nick Nemeroff of TennisViewMag.com pointed out that Darcis refused to sit back on his heels:

Darcis had an opportunity to force a first-set tiebreak on serve at 5-6, but Nole hit the big shots when he needed to and scored his second break of the set to take it 7-5.

While it ended in disappointment for the 32-year-old underdog, ESPN's Brad Gilbert praised his moxie:

According to SI.com's Carole Bouchard, Darcis appeared to throw Djokovic off his game thanks to deception and craftiness:

Darcis arguably had the better run of play in the first set, with more winners and less unforced errors than Djokovic, but that changed in the second, as Djoker seized control.

Djokovic still had some issues during the set, with 12 unforced errors, but he dominated on serve and never faced a break point en route to taking the second set 6-3.

Nole seemed poised to cruise to the finish line after that, and he had Darcis on the run early in the third set:

Darcis kept battling, though, and took a break back from Djoker to keep things interesting. With the set level at 3-3, Djokovic earned another break, which essentially turned out to be the Belgian's last gasp.

Although Thursday didn't mark a clinical performance for Djokovic by any means, he showed his mettle by grinding out a tough win and has some positive momentum entering his third-round clash with Aljaz Bedene.

Djokovic has a high standard of excellence as an 11-time Grand Slam champion, so anything less than utter dominance can be viewed as a disappointment.

As he continues to advance in the tournament, the level of competition will get higher, and Nole will be forced to come through in pressure-packed situations.

He did so when he needed to against Darcis, and that bodes well for his chances moving forward.

Djoker appears to have a clear draw until a potential semifinal clash with Rafael Nadal, and while Rafa is seemingly playing the better tennis right now, Djokovic is battle-tested.

If Djokovic doesn't clean up his game and cut down on the unforced errors, though, the door may be open for Nadal to take a run at his 10th career French Open title.

Post-Match Reaction

After a hard-fought match against a dangerous opponent, Djokovic gave Darcis credit for giving him some issues with his style of play, according to ATPWorldTour.com: "It's not easy, because he's very quick, and he anticipates the play very well."

Despite the fact that Nole had to battle Thursday, he is also aware that even bigger challenges are ahead, per Roland Garros on Twitter:

Djoker will be a big favorite over Bedene in the third round, but with the looming possibility of a match against Nadal on the horizon, he seemingly realizes that performances like the one he turned in Thursday may not be good enough against higher-ranked opponents.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.