After Stephens saved the match points, the crowd gave her a huge round of applause and a few people jumped out of their seats. Azarenka got a tepid applause after clinching the match.
The 23-year-old Azarenka later said she'd had difficulty breathing.
"I couldn't breathe. I had chest pains," she said. "It was like I was getting a heart attack.
"After that it wasn't my best but it's important to overcome this little bit of a struggle and win the match."
Stephens didn't think the timing of the medical break had any real impact on the match.
"It's happened before. Last match, match before, I've had people going for medical breaks, going to the bathroom," she said. "Didn't affect me. Just another something else that happens."
The temperature hit 36 Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) during the second women's semifinal, slightly hotter than it had been when Li Na beat No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 to reach the Australian Open final for the second time in three years.
