Ana Ivanovic at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday

New York: Ana Ivanovic recovered in a hurry to avoid becoming the first top-seeded woman to lose in the first round at the US Open, rallying past Vera Dushevina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Tuesday.

Ivanovic was out of sorts for much of the match against the Russian, ranked No. 57. Down 3-2 in the third set, the French Open champion suddenly found her confidence and her winning strokes.

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.

Sixth-seeded Dinara Safina, No. 13 Agnes Szavay and No. 16 Flavia Pennetta advanced. But No. 22 Tomas Berdych lost to Sam Querrey of the US 3-6, 1-6, 2-6.

James Blake finished off the opening day at the Open outlasting 19-year-old fellow American Donald Young 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Lindsay Davenport eased past Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s 10th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who helped Roger Federer fulfil his Olympic dream by winning the doubles crown in Beijing, defeated Simone Bolelli of Italy 7-6, 6-3, 6-3. Andy Murray lived up to his billing as a title contender when he gave Argentine Sergio Roitman the run-around in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 mauling. Roitman’s compatriot David Nalbandian overcame Brazilian Marcos Daniel 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Second seed Jelena Jankovic underlined her title aspirations with an unforgiving 6-3, 6-1 exhibition against Grand Slam debutante Coco Vandeweghe.

Third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marion Bartoli, 15th seed Patty Schnyder and men’s fourth seed David Ferrer all advanced.

Tenth seed Anna Chakvetadze’s challenge, however, stalled in the first round. She collapsed to her earliest Grand Slam defeat in over three years, when she was hustled out 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 by Ekaterina Makarova.