U.S. Open '09: Ivanovic Bundles Out Amidst Sizzling and Erratic Drama

A major upset was lurking around on the women’s side with the kind of erratic tennis that has been on display in the last two days.

It finally happened at Louis Armstrong stadium under lights—and one which will result in a significant loss of TRPs in the coming days—when the 11th seed Serbian beauty Ana Ivanovic buckled under to the Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko in the very first round in a nail-biting thriller which ended in the third set tie-breaker.

There were silly errors, marginal challenges, attempted racket breaks, cool composure, as well a double-fault on a match point, combined with the occasional display of scintillating tennis that gave the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium full value for their ticket money.

Both players started nervously as Ivanovic was tantalizingly close to losing her opening two service games, and Bondarenko lost all 5 of her break points in those first two games.

Ivanovic survived initially and then gained consistency on her serve and massive forehand to get into a commanding position. She was looking confident, and comfortable on offense while immaculate in defense.

Her normally weak backhand was looking solid as well, and with her much improved slice backhand, she was looking like the player who won the French Open 15 months ago.

She quickly won the first set and looked poised for a comfortable win with a 3-1 win the second, when the drama began.

Bondarenko faced some issues with her strapped right thigh, and was looking a bit shaky with her movement. It was a blessing in disguise as she decided to be more aggressive.

She approached the net frequently and was not afraid of going for outright winners. The world no. 11 was unsettled and lost the next five games consecutively with a string of errors to hand over the set—and a shift in momentum—to the underdog!

Bondarenko thrived on the momentum to race through a 4-1 lead in the third, as Ivanovic made every possible attempt—in vain—to get a new racket through numerous racket smashes.

Momentum is a bad word in WTA, though. Ivanovic bounced back again with consecutive breaks, and a comfortable victory for Bondarenko turned into a thrilling tie-breaker.

The breaker was no different and the ladies continued to lose points on serve, but the Ukraine finally edged through 9-7 with the last error of the match from Ivanovic. Ivanovic made a final attempt to break the racket and quickly made her way out of Armstrong.

The loss will be particularly hard on the women’s tour because Ana Ivanovic is one of the cleanest striker of the ball in this side. Her forehand is arguably the best in the game, and her continual inconsistency has been a serious cause of concern.

One can only hope that the opening rounds are just a mirage hiding away the later rounds, because once the top ladies get their mind in shape, they have a lot to offer.