NEW YORK, AUG 31 (AP/UNB) - Former top-ranked player Ana Ivanovic advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open with a 6-3, 6-2 win over 52nd-ranked Ekaterina Makarova of Russia on Monday.

Ivanovic came into the 2008 U.S. Open ranked No. 1 and only a couple of months removed from a Grand Slam title.

The Serbian's struggles were deeper than her two consecutive early exits at Flushing Meadows, but the tournament has provided stark symbols of her descent.

What better place to prove to herself that she's starting that long climb back to the top.

For Ivanovic, now ranked No. 40, Monday's win is progress after what happened the last two years. In 2008, she fell in the second round to 188th-ranked qualifier Julie Coin. Since the Open era began
in 1968, the No. 1 woman had never lost that early in the tournament.

Last year, as the No. 11 seed, she was eliminated in the first round.

A series of injuries and losses hobbled the confidence of the 2008 French Open champ.

"I think most important is that I have fun again, and it's good to be competing," Ivanovic said Monday. "I really managed to get some pressure off myself, and that's a huge step for me."