Maria Sharapova Advances, Kim Clijsters Falls In Third Round Of 2012 Sony Ericsson Open

Maria Sharapova

Sloane Stephens is one of the young American players I have my eyes on. She is fast, skilled and has a lot of potential. However, in the third round of the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open she had more on her plate than she could handle in 3-time Major winner and former world #1 Maria Sharapova. Masha advanced to the next round with a 6-4 6-2 win over Sloane, but there were some splendid shots from Stephens that hinted at her developing talent. On this day however, Masha stayed on target for a potential blockbuster semifinal against Serena Williams. Still, both Masha and Serena have a lot of work to do before they reach that point.

Kim Clijsters

Kim Clijsters overcame some shaky play to advance in the second round, but it was a different story against third round opponent and fellow Belgian, Yanina Wickmayer. I give Kim credit for showing guts in fighting of six match points against Yanina, but she ultimately fell 6-4 7-6 (5). By her own admission, Kim is nowhere near where her best.

“Yanina definitely started off much better and was more consistent throughout the two sets, and I wasn’t. It was still close. In a way it’s a little bit frustrating knowing you’re playing not even 50% but it’s still close. On one hand you’re like, ‘Ah, I could have beaten her.’ But she played well today. I did feel she was getting nervous to finish off the match as well, so I had a few opportunities to get back into it and maybe win that second set.” – Kim Clijsters

This video has nothing to do with the 2012 SEO, but I missed it when it was first posted so I instead of another post, I just decided to put this Masha visit on Chelsea Lately here: