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Ivanovic Faces Stiff Test against Cibulkova at US Open

Aug 30th 2015

Theoretically, earning a seed at a major, particularly a high seed, is supposed to make a player's life a little easier.  They are often able to play their way into a tournament through the first couple of rounds before they meet a fellow seed and have to get down to business.  But every now and then, fate is cruel and hands a top seed a potentially difficult match.  That is what fate has done to Ana Ivanovic, who will face Dominika Cibulkova in the opening round of the US Open.

Ana Ivanovic

To the casual tennis fan, this may not seem like a match that should trouble Ivanovic.  Currently at No. 7, she is ranked more than 40 places above her Slovak opponent.  She is also a former Roland Garros singles champion and reached the final four in Paris this season as well.  Ivanovic has had a decent summer coming into New York, earning quarterfinal finishes in both Toronto and Cincinnati, at the latter of which she lost to Serena Williams after pushing the American to three sets.  She has been a relatively solid performer since her resurgence back to the upper echelons of the game, and she will be keen to continue building on her successes.

But while Ivanovic has been the steadier and overall more successful of the pair, core tennis fans know that Cibulkova is unlikely to be a pushover in this encounter.  Just last season, the Slovak was ranked inside the top 10 thanks to her appearance in the final of the Australian Open.  She has also been to the semifinals of Roland Garros several years ago and earned a berth in the last eight in Melbourne this year.  Cibulkova has garnered a number of impressive wins over the course of her career at some of the most prestigious events on tour, and she will relish her chances of grabbing another one when she takes to the court against the Serb on Monday.

While Cibulkova will feel confident about her chances, there is no doubt that it is Ivanovic who is in the better position to control what is happening on the court.  The former No. 1 stands seven inches taller than her opponent, which gives her a distinct advantage on the serve and with her reach.  Furthermore, she boasts more powerful groundstrokes, and her forehand will be the greatest weapon on either side.  None of this is to say that Cibulkova will be without her opportunities to dictate play.  She packs a deceptively big punch off the ground and does a good job moving the ball around the court.  She also owns the superior foot speed of the two, and her ability to track down balls may test the consistency of the Serb.  In addition to that, she is a fearless player who does not shy away from moving forward to take balls out of the air.  Provided she is able to stay up on the baseline and occasionally advance to the forecourt, she should be able to hold her own in this contest.

Dominika Cibulkova

From a psychological standpoint, Cibulkova also has a reason to believe she can cause an early upset at Flushing Meadows.  Ivanovic and Cibulkova have split their previous four meetings at two apiece, and two of those meetings have gone the distance.  Furthermore, although Cibulkova has made her exit in the opening round of the US Open the last two years, New York has not exactly been a happy hunting ground for Ivanovic either.  Each woman has only ever reached the quarterfinals of this event on one occasion, and after losing in the first round of the Australian Open and second round of Wimbledon this season, Ivanovic has hardly been a lock to go far at the majors in 2015.  She will be aware of this, as well as the fact that she has the pressure as the player expected to get through.  That leaves Cibulkova to swing away freely and perhaps get the better of the seventh seed.

Suffice it to say, this one of the more evenly matched of the first-round encounters.  If both women bring their best, it should make for some exciting tennis on Day 1 of the US Open.  It should also mean that Ivanovic lives up to her seeding and advances, but nobody should discount Cibulkova's chances of advancing at the Serb's expense.