Having secured his spot in the second round, also for the first time, Sousa beat the 145-ranked Novikov in four sets: 6-4, 6-4, 3-6 e 6-4 in two hours and four minutes.

The 27-year-old Portuguese will now face the winner of the match between Austria's Dominic Thiem, number eight in the ATP rankings, and the Czech Jiri Vesely, ranked 64.

Wimbledon is the third Grand Slam tournament of the season.