On her five previous trips to Charleston, Sloane Stephens had won just one main-draw match, while this year she raced all the way to the trophy, saving one match point in the quarterfinals against Daria Kasatkina and then enjoying a retirement victory over defending champion and world No.2 Angelique Kerber in the semis, which was the American's first Top 2 win (1-11 record).
First #WTA singles title on clay for @SloaneStephens! #VCO2016 https://t.co/eYkQ35SjhF
— WTA (@WTA) April 10, 2016
The seventh-seeded Stephens recorded a tough 7-6(4) 6-2 victory over Elena Vesnina in the final, who was the first finalist at the Volvo Car Open to have played in qualifying in the event's 44-year history.