The 6 women to successfully defend a WTA title in 2024: ft Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff

Oli Dickson Jefford 24 Nov 2024 5:25 PM

L-R: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek

Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek all defended titles in 2024.

In a thrilling year of WTA action, six women were able to successfully defend a WTA Tour title.

We look at the esteemed players who went back-to-back in 2024.

Coco Gauff – Auckland Open

The first successful title defence of 2024 came in the very opening week of the year, with world No 3 Gauff capturing back-to-back crowns in Auckland.

After defeating Rebeka Masarova in the 2023 final, top seed Gauff rallied from a set down to defeat second seed Elina Svitolina 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 to lift the title this January.

It was the first of three titles for the US star in 2024, who also won the China Open and WTA Finals.

Aryna Sabalenka – Australian Open, Wuhan Open

World No 1 Sabalenka won four WTA titles in 2024, and two of her victories were successful title defences.

The Belarusian claimed back-to-back Australian Open titles in Melbourne in January, beating Zheng Qinwen in the final to lift her second Grand Slam.

Later in 2024, Sabalenka won her third straight Wuhan Open title by defeating Qinwen in another final, prevailing as the tournament returned after a five-year absence.

Sabalenka was also the champion at the US Open and Cincinnati Open while reaching further finals in Madrid, Rome, and Brisbane.

Iga Swiatek – Qatar Open, French Open

No women won more singles titles than Swiatek in 2024, and the Pole successfully defended titles twice across the first few months of the season.

The world No 2 made it three straight Doha Open titles back in February, rallying from an early deficit to beat Elena Rybakina 7-6(8), 6-2 in the final.

Swiatek then completed a French Open ‘threepeat’ in June, beating Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 to lift the title in Paris after previous back-t0-back victories in 2022 and 2023.

She was also the champion in Indian Wells, Madrid, and Rome.

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Katie Boulter – Nottingham Open

One of the most improved WTA players of 2024, Boulter won two WTA titles in 2024.

And while the Brit’s biggest title came in San Diego, she was also able to defend her crown on home soil in Nottingham.

After downing Emma Raducanu in the semi-finals, Boulter beat former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to claim the third WTA title of her career.

Zheng Qinwen – Palermo Open

Qinwen’s season was a standout one, with the Chinese winning Olympic gold and the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on her way to reaching a career-high of world No 5.

She was also a runner-up in Melbourne, Wuhan, and at the WTA Finals – but sealed back-to-back victories in Palermo.

Qinwen defeated Jasmine Paolini in the 2023 final and then battled past Karolina Muchova 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to reign again this summer.

Jessica Pegula – Canadian Open

Pegula’s season was up and down, but a strong hard-court summer saw her successfully defend her Canadian Open title in August.

The US star had defeated Liudmila Samsonova to win the title in 2023 and fought past compatriot Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to claim victory in Toronto this year.

The world No 7 was also the champion in Berlin while finishing as the runner-up in Cincinnati and at the US Open.