Defending Sony Ericsson Open champion Kim Clijsters lost in the tournament’s quarterfinals after 2009 champion Victoria Azarenka stepped up on her game to defeat the Belgian world number two. The Belarussian advanced to her first semifinal of the season after winning 6-3, 6-3.
Clijsters committed eight double-faults in the Wednesday night match. The Australian Open 2011 champion has been nursing a right shoulder injury for the past few weeks.
Azarenka won her biggest career title on the same stage two years ago. She will face Vera Zvonareva in the semifinal after the latter defeated Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, also in straight sets.
Watch the coverage of the Sony Ericsson Open 2011 live online via TennisTV, the official live tennis website of the WTA Tour.
