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Three-times champion Azarenka, playing as a
wildcard in her second event after an eight-month absence
because of a custody dispute involving her son, showed glimpses
of the form that took her to the top of the rankings but
ultimately ran out of gas against her 13th-seeded opponent.
Stephens, who also beat Azarenka in the second round at Indian
Wells this month, took control of the match early in the second
set and never looked back as she raced through the decider with
ease.
"I just knew I had to keep fighting. In the first set I was down
but I battled back so I knew if I did that in the second, I'd be
right in there," the 25-year-old American said in an on-court
interview.
"I ended up winning a lot of games in a row and I just tried to
keep the momentum going."
Stephens will face either French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko,
the sixth seed, or American qualifier Danielle Collins in
Saturday's final at Crandon Park.
Azarenka's initial comeback after the birth of her child in
December, 2016 was short-lived as she played two tournaments
before a custody battle with her son's father prevented her from
traveling with her child.
The Belarusian may have played little competitive tennis in
recent years but she enjoyed a respectable run in Miami,
including victory over Czech world number six Karolina Pliskova
in the quarter-finals.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto,; Additional reporting by
Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Ed Osmond)
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