Ana Ivanovic dumped out by Dominika Cibulkova, Venus Williams beats Monica Puig

ByReuters

Updated 31/08/2015 at 22:25 GMT

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic was the first major casualty of the US Open as the Serbian seventh seed fell 6-3 3-6 6-3 to Dominika Cibulkova in the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia serves to Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia on day one of the 2015 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

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The 50th-ranked Cibulkova of Slovakia seized the advantage with a service break in the fourth game of third set for a 3-1 lead and consolidated it with a backhand drop shot to make it 4-1 against the former French Open champion.

A backhand long from Ivanovic, who had her left foot taped midway through the final set, ended the nearly two-hour contest.

"Today I know that my game was there on the court," said the 26-year-old Cibulkova, who cracked the top 10 last year before finishing the season ranked 11th and reached the quarter-finals last week in New Haven.

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"I just had to stay tough and know I had to do it, she doesn't give away shots."

Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia celebrates after beating Ana Ivanovic of Serbia on day one of the 2015 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Image credit: Reuters

Cibulkova, a 2014 Australian Open finalist who earlier this year had Achilles-related surgery on her left foot, will next face American qualifier Jessica Pegula, a 7-5 6-3 winner over Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck.

For Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion, the result continued an up-and-down season. The 27-year-old Serb, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year, was coming off back-to-back quarter-finals at U.S. Open tune-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati.

She also has lost three times to players outside the top-100 this year, including twice at grand slams.

Venus Williams secured her spot in the second round at Flushing Meadows after beating Monica Puig 6-4 6-7(7) 6-3.

Williams was broken in the first game of the match but fought back to secure the first stanza in 38 minutes.

The 2001 champion served for the match at 5-3 but went on to lose the tie breaker as Puig forced a deciding set.

However, Williams broke Puig’s serve in the first game of the final set before serving it out to move into the next round.

Venus Williams of the U.S. hits a return to Monica Puig of Puerto Rico during their match at the U.S. Open Championships tennis tournament in New York, August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

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Other early matches on the women's side went according to script as 13th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova dismissed Brazil's Teliana Pereira 6-3 6-3, and 15th seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland crushed Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-2 6-3.

US Open women's singles round 1 results

Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) beat 7-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 6-3 3-6 6-3

Denisa Allertova (Czech Republic) beat 10-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-1 7-6(5)

Anna Tatishvili (U.S.) beat 8-Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1

13-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat Teliana Pereira (Brazil) 6-3 6-3

15-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-3

17-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat Elizaveta Kulichkova (Russia) 6-1 6-4

31-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-4 7-5

23-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 6-4 6-7(7) 6-3

Oceane Dodin (France) beat 21-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 2-6 7-5 6-3

Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat 30-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-3 7-5

Mariana Duque (Colombia) beat Sofia Kenin (U.S.) 6-3 6-1