Sloane Stephens vs elena Vesnina. Charleston final open 2016

CHARLESTON, SC, USA
Stephens is into her first WTA singles final on clay after the defending champion kerber saw herself forced to retire, 6-1, 3-0, in the semifinals of the Volvo Car Open.

"It's been a little tough out here but I'm happy to be through to the final," Stephens said. "It's sad that it had to be that way. It's not the way I'd wanted it.

"I wish Angie a speedy recovery - she's a really nice girl and a really great player."

Stephens, who already has two titles in 2016 with wins at Auckland and Acapulco, took the first set after a dominating 24 minutes, outhitting a sluggish Kerber. The American scored 10 winners and hit just two unforced errors, while the out-of-sorts Kerber hit just seven winners to 10 unforced errors.