NEW YORK — Ana Ivanovic recovered in a hurry today to avoid becoming the first top-seeded woman to lose in the first round at the U.S. Open, rallying past Vera Dushevina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Out of whack lately because of an injured right thumb, 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.

"I dropped my concentration," she said.

The 20-year-old Serbian star had played only two matches since Wimbledon in mid-July while her thumb healed. The injury forced Ivanovic to withdraw from the Olympics before they began and severely cut into her practice time.

"It felt great today," she said. "I was so happy to be on the court."

The worst start ever for a No. 1 woman at the U.S. Open came in 1967 when Maria Bueno drew a first-round bye and then lost in the second round. The last top-seeded man to lose in the first round at Flushing Meadows was Stefan Edberg in 1990.

Ivanovic was in danger, too.

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.

Soon, Ivanovic was tentative on backhands and failed to finish forehands. Gone was her signature fist pump after winning key points. Instead, she spent more and more time looking into her family box during breaks.

By the final set, Ivanovic was moving better, covering the court and pressuring Dushevina into misses. Even so, she made it tough on herself, double-faulting while trying for a match point.

Serena Williams was scheduled to play her first-round match later in the afternoon. Roger Federer, aiming for his fifth straight U.S. Open title, and Venus Williams highlighted the night action.

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

Rafael Nadal was out early Tuesday, practicing minus his shirt. A day after his win, the top-seeded man worked in solitude — he hit before fans were allowed on the grounds.

It was well past midnight when James Blake finished off the opening day at the Open. The No. 9 seed outlasted 19-year-old fellow American Donald Young 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

At last year's U.S. Open, Blake finally won a five-set match. Maybe now he's starting to get the hang of it.

"I said earlier my experience may help a little, and that definitely may have been the difference on one or two points in the match," said Blake, wearing a Mets jersey and cap.