US Open 2014: Catherine Bellis, 15, Upsets Dominika Cibulkova
The former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic has played enough United States Opens - nine, in all - to know that the opening match, particularly in the unpredictable conditions of Arthur Ashe Stadium, is never as easy as it seems. Ivanovic insisted this was the case Tuesday, even after she ousted her first-round opponent, Alison Riske of the United States, in 65 minutes.
'It never gets old,' Ivanovic said after the 6-3, 6-0 victory. 'You never get used to it. It was actually a tough first-round match. I just tried to swing hard because if you give her a chance, she is going to play very well.'
After having her serve broken in the first game, Ivanovic gave Riske no more chances. She grabbed back the break of serve immediately and ended what might have been any drama.
By cruising into the second round, Ivanovic, the No. 8 seed, is trying to reverse a career of disappointment at the U.S. Open. She has reached as far as the quarterfinals only once, in 2012, and she lost in the second round in 2008, when she was No. 1.
Samantha Stosur, on the other hand, had had a glorious run at the Open, winning the title in 2011 and following that with a charge to the quarterfinals the next year. This explains her warm reception for her first-round victory on the Grandstand court, even though her opponent was the up-and-coming American Lauren Davis.
'It's like playing at home here,' Stosur said after her 6-1, 6-4 victory.
But Stosur also knows the sting of failure here, too. After her best seasons in 2011 and 2012, she faltered in trying to come back from surgery on her ankle. At the Open last year, Stosur, seeded 11th, was stunned by the 296th-ranked American qualifier Victoria Duval. Her ranking has continued to fall and she is seeded only 24th this year.
Stosur knew not to take Tuesday's opener for granted.
'I'm very happy with the way I played,' she said. 'Lauren has been a really good player lately, so I had to play my best tennis, and I did.'
Many of the other early women's matches went quickly as well. The American Varvara Lepchenko beat Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium, 7-5, 6-2. Casey Dellacqua of Australia, the 29th seed, beat Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria, 7-5, 6-3.
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