Even in dispatching his first two victims at the US Open, Novak Djokovic had not looked quite as impressive as he might have hoped.  Second-round opponent Benjamin Becker even served for the first set against the Serb before fading, and an opener against Ricardas Berankis included several edgy service games.  Like fellow 2012 US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka, Djokovic had struggled on his serve throughout the summer.  He would aim to improve in that area as he aimed for the second week against a little-known Portuguese player.

Extended to five sets in each of his first two matches, Joao Sousa had spent most of his career in challengers and qualifying draws.  Sousa had won just four matches in ATP main draws this year until he shocked Grigor Dimitrov in the first round.  That upset may have given him confidence as he migrated from the outer courts to a Primetime night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Still, Djokovic surely sensed that a fast start might deflate an underdog so unaccustomed to success at this level.  He swept the first six points of the match and jerked Sousa from side to side to earn an early break with pinpoint forehands.  The world No. 1 showed off each of his varied weapons, even deft touch on a drop shot that usually does not rank among his strengths.  While Sousa won some applause with a crisply executed smash, he could not string together more than one or two strong points at a time.

Even the net cord fancied Djokovic in the early stages, allowing a groundstroke to trickle across out of Sousa’s reach.  But the Portuguese player did himself few favors, shanking some routine balls on game points.  Unable to hit through Djokovic, he rushed shots and tried to spread the court too wide.  The world No. 1’s defenses handled anything and everything that his opponent’s meager offense could throw at him, while he transitioned smoothly from counterpunching to aggression. 

An inside-out forehand cleaned the sideline neatly to deliver an insurance break and essentially seal the first set.  Djokovic’s issues with serving did not depart entirely as he floated a double fault to reach 30-30 in a second straight service game.  Sousa tried hard to dodge a bagel, battling through a long sixth game before the Serb bageled him anyway with a forehand that combined vicious pace and vicious angle.  He struck that shot much more cleanly and consistently than he had in his first two matches.

Starting the second set with greater promise after a medical timeout, Sousa claimed his first game and relieved the scoreboard pressure that must have started to weigh on him.  He did not do so easily, needing nearly 10 minutes and a shoal of game points before he finally converted.  Sousa’s frustrations resurfaced in his next service game, which he started with a double fault.  Signaling his tactical uncertainty with a poor drop shot, he lost little time in handing Djokovic another break.

The world No. 1 had vowed to improve his form after a disappointing effort in the second round, and he continued to fulfill that promise.  Djokovic seemed to relish entertaining the New York crowd with cat-and-mouse forays to the net.  He eschewed his usual high-percentage play and patient point construction for flashier, riskier shot-making with no pressure at all on him.  Djokovic wrapped up a 6-0 6-2 6-2 victory in exactly 100 minutes.

The road may not grow much more difficult for the world  No. 1 in the coming rounds, for he cannot face a top-20 opponents until the semifinals.  Upsets to key figures in Djokovic’s section of the draw, such as Juan Martin Del Potro and Tommy Haas, have left the section open for the likes of Marcel Granollers and Mikhail Youzhny.  Judging from his performance tonight, no real test will await the former champion until Super Saturday.