Opening day blues for Ivanovic
FALTER Seventh-seeded Serb becomes the first high-profile casualty, loses to Cibulkova; easy victory for Dimitrov
Ana Ivanovic crashed out of the US Open first round on Monday, losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova and giving Serena Williams a helping hand in her Grand Slam history bid.
Serbian seventh seed Ivanovic, a quarter-finalist in 2012, was in Williams’s half of the draw, a section which had already lost Maria Sharapova through injury even before the tournament started.
World No 1 Williams is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to complete a calendar Grand Slam.
Cibulkova, ranked 50th in the world after sitting out three months to undergo surgery on her left foot, will face American qualifier Jessica Pegula for a place in the last 32.
“It feels real cosy,” said the 26-year-old. The pint-sized Cibulkova made the quarters in New York in 2010 but had fallen in the first round in the last two years. Monday’s win, her third in five meetings against former French Open champion Ivanovic, opened play at the 2015 tournament.
With Ivanovic and Sharapova no longer involved, Williams finds eighth- seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova as the highestranked player in her half.
NO SWEAT
Agnieszka Radwanska, the 15th seed from Poland, used her bevy of shots to routinely beat 19-yearold Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3, in their first-round match. The Pole who is playing her 10th US Open used slices from both sides, drop shots and a heavy forehand approach shot to thrash Siniakova.
MOVING UP
On the men’s side, David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov faced no difficulty to move into the second round. While 14th seeded Goffin thrashed Italy’s Simone Bolleli 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; Dimitrov, seeded 17th, barely needed time to overcome Australia’s Matthew Ebden’s challenge. The Bulgarian won 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.