Defending champion Kim Clijsters defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. This was Clijsters 500th tour-level match win.
“It’s a little hard when you have a player who plays two totally different shots on each side,” she added, acknowledging the difficulties Martinez Sanchez’s left-handed game presented. Nevertheless, the Belgian player saved five of nine break points to close out the match with a total 33 winners.
Clijsters defeated Venus Williams to secure the Sony Ericsson Open title last year, and also won in 2005 against Maria Sharapova.