Out of whack lately because of an injured right thumb, the world No. 1 was out of sorts for much of the match against a Russian ranked No. 57. Down 3-2 in the third set, the French Open champion suddenly found her confidence — and her winning strokes.
“I could feel some shots, lack of practice,” Ivanovic said.
The 20-year-old Serbian star had played only two matches since Wimbledon in mid-July while her thumb healed. The injury forced Ivanovic to withdraw from the Olympics before they began and kept her from practicing until last week.
“Happy finally to be without the pain,” she said.
The worst start ever for a No. 1 woman at the U.S. Open came in 1967 when Maria Bueno drew a first-round bye and then lost in the second round. The last top-seeded man to lose in the first round at Flushing Meadows was Stefan Edberg in 1990.
Serena Williams was scheduled to play her first-round match later in the afternoon. Roger Federer, aiming for his fifth straight U.S. Open title, and Venus Williams highlighted the night action.
Sixth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia, No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, No. 13 Agnes Szavay of Hungary and No. 16 Flavia Pennetta of Italy advanced in morning matches.
Ahead 4-2 in the second set, Ivanovic rushed to a 40-15 lead and seemed on her way to a comfortable win. At deuce, she charged forward but put an easy overhand smash into the net — one of her 40 unforced errors.
After that, her problems really flared.
“I dropped my concentration,” she said.
Soon, Ivanovic was tentative on backhands and failed to finish forehands. Gone was her signature fist pump after winning key points. Instead, she spent more and more time looking into her family box during breaks.
By the final set, Ivanovic was moving better, covering the court and pressuring Dushevina into misses. Even so, she made it tough on herself, double-faulting while trying for a match point.
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Wozniacki wins in Stockholm in straight sets
Minnows hope to upset giants
