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Tricky draw for Ivanovic in the very first round

Ana is the favorite here deservedly but Cibulkova will still be a tough challenge. The two of them haven't played in two years but Dominika is capable of standing up to Ana in faster rallies, even though she's not in brilliant for either

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The story of Dominika Cibulkova is very well known. The former No. 10 has some serious injury-struggles, which forced her to take a 4-month break early this season. She made a comeback in Eastbourne to stun Safarova in the very first match but her game got pretty bad soon afterwards. She recorded 4 defeats in a row before once again displaying what she's capable of by beating Stephens. Granted, Sloane won a title only two days before that, meaning she was seriously lacking in motivation but Cibulkova played a really good match.

Cibulkova did a very good preparation for US Open in New Haven. Granted, she was too inconsistent but managed to beat Pironkova and Mladenovic in three sets and later forced Safarova into a longer third set. She managed to win the opener after being 0-4 down and then broke Safarova in the opening game of the decider. But again, she displayed inconsistency and lost her service game when serving for the tiebreak. That was yet another proof that she the shots but that confidence is her biggest problem these days.

- It was a great battle, a great match in which we fought for each point with a lot of ups and downs. She can return a lot of shots, she's a great fighter and plays fast. 

Cibulkova's first round opponent Ivanovic displayed a good game at her last tournament before the US Open. A spectacle was expected in the second round as she was set to face Venus but the American pulled out. However, Ivanovic's next opponent Stephens was a guarantee of a good match. The Serbian opened badly but later on found rhythm on forehand to leave the home favorite without a chance. Ivanovic was great on forehand against Ivanovic as well but she once again lost after winning the first set and being rather close up until mid-second set when Serena, as per usual, made a comeback. Ana was helpless in the second part of the match, as Serena's attacks grew fiercer. In the end, Ivanovic simply didn't have a response to Williams' power.

The match between Cibulkova and Ivanovic will definitely be interesting. Both prefer a fast-paced tennis with fast rallies. Cibulkova is better at defending while Ana's shots have more power and she's in better form, meaning she is quite closer to winning.