Venus Williams claims victory at Wuhan Open due to Garbine Muguruza retirement

Venus Williams has claimed victory at the Wuhan Open final due to the retirement of her opponent Garbine Muguruza.

The Spaniard started brightly as she broke the 35-year-old in the first game of the match, but Williams hit back immediately to level the scores.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion began to find her rhythm on the court and broke Muguruza two further times to take the first set 6-3.

Muguruza displayed signs of an ankle injury at the beginning of the second set as Williams raced into a 3-0 lead by breaking the Spaniard twice, capitalising on her lack of mobility.

The number five seed opted to retire from the match, handing Williams her 48th career title.