Ivanovic bows out early at US Open losing Round 1 match to Cibulkova

For the third time in 2015, Ana Ivanovic has been eliminated from a Grand Slam before the third round.

The No. 7 seed was upset by 50th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova in Round 1 on Monday losing in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It's a huge disappointment for Ivanovic, whose draw was blown wide open after No. 3 Maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament with a leg injury.

Ivanovic was ousted in the first round of the Australian Open earlier in the year by Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, and after reaching the semis at Roland Garros, she lost in straight sets to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Round 2 at Wimbledon.

Cibulkova was nonetheless a tough draw for the Serbian. It's been less than two years since Cibulkova reached the finals of the 2014 Australian Open, where she lost to now-retired Li Na.

Ivanovic broke early in the first set, but Cibulkova stormed back with three break points of her own, taking the opener 6-3. The play was relatively even but the 2008 French Open champion could not recover from 14 unforced errors.

Her struggles continued in the second as she found herself down 40-0 in the fifth set, down a break. Ivanovic then recovered and took the next five games to level the match at a set apiece.

In the third, it was Ivanovic's serve that let her down, only hitting 35 percent of her first serves into play. It allowed two early breaks for Cibulkova that proved to be the difference as the Slovakian clinched the upset, winning the final set 6-3.

Cibulkova will advance to face American Jessica Pegula - daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owner Terry Pegula - who upset French Open quarterfinalist Alison Van Uytvanck in the first Grand Slam main draw of her career.