WUHAN, China — Venus Williams won the Wuhan Open on Saturday when her Spanish opponent and fifth-seeded Garbine Muguruza retired with a left ankle injury while trailing 6-3, 3-0.
It was the unseeded Williams’ 47th WTA singles title.
"It’s not easy when you don’t play your best," Williams told Muguruza, adding that "I probably didn’t have a chance if you felt well."
Muguruza said she was "very sorry" at having to retire.
Williams rallied from 5-3 down in the third set of the quarterfinals to beat British qualifier Johanna Konta, and she saved a match point during a 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (4) semifinal win over Roberta Vinci.
Both finalists are projected to make major moves up the rankings — Williams from No. 24 to No. 14 and Muguruza from No. 8 to No. 5, her top-five debut.
Earlier Saturday, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu in straight sets in the doubles final.
The winning duo dropped serve three times and had to fight back from a 2-0 deficit in the second set, but the No.1-seeded Hingis and Mirza won 6-2, 6-3.
The Swiss-Indian pairing have seven WTA doubles titles this year and have won their last three tournaments in a row — the U.S. Open, Guangzhou and Wuhan — and 13 straight matches.
