Marie Bouzkova made the third WTA singles final of her career with a straight-sets victory over Wang Qiang at the Abierto Zapopan. Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens also reached the final after an injured Anna Kalinskaya retired from their semifinal.
Unseeded Marie Bouzkova and number six seed Sloane Stephens will square off for the Abierto Zapopan title on Sunday night after advancing through their Saturday semifinals in Guadalajara.
Bouzkova of the Czech Republic stormed past former Top 15 player Wang Qiang of China 6-3, 6-3 to reach the third WTA singles final of her career. Bouzkova, a former Top 50 player currently ranked World No.96, took an hour and a half to quell the challenge from Wang.
"I was expecting a really tough match," Bouzkova said afterwards. "I was kind of prepared that we were going to have really long rallies. I know she's a tough opponent, so I just tried to stay there the whole time, and I just played a good match in the end," she added.
Earlier, Stephens of the United States had to stage a comeback before advancing to the final when Anna Kalinskaya of Russia retired from their semifinal clash due to a back injury. The final scoreline was 3-6, 7-5, ret.
( With inputs from ANI )
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