Winning tour-level titles is one thing, defending them is another…
Only four players have defended an ATP or WTA singles title in 2026 so far.
Rate Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of defending his US Open title with barely any warm-up 😬
So, who are they, and which titles did they defend?
Every ATP or WTA singles title defence so far this year
Aryna Sabalenka – Brisbane International, Miami Open
The world number one was the first player to defend a title this year, winning her second consecutive Brisbane International title.
After defeating Polina Kudermetova in the 2025 final, Sabalenka defeated Marta Kostyuk in 2026, starting the year as she meant to go on.
Aryna Sabalenka’s 10-match winning streak in Brisbane
- 1. 2025 Brisbane International 2R [WIN] vs Renata Zarazua, 6-4, 6-0
- 2. 2025 Brisbane International 3R [WIN] vs Yulia Putintseva, 7-6, 6-4
- 3. 2025 Brisbane International QF [WIN] vs Marie Bouzkova, 6-3, 6-4
- 4. 2025 Brisbane International SF [WIN] vs Mirra Andreeva, 6-3, 6-2
- 5. 2025 Brisbane International F [WIN] vs Polina Kudermetova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
- 6. 2026 Brisbane International 2R [WIN] vs Cristina Bucsa, 6-0, 6-1
- 7. 2026 Brisbane International 3R [WIN] vs Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 6-3
- 8. 2026 Brisbane International QF [WIN] vs Madison Keys, 6-3, 6-3
- 9. 2026 Brisbane International SF [WIN] vs Karolina Muchova, 6-3, 6-4
- 10. 2026 Brisbane International F [WIN] vs Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 6-3
And Sabalenka didn’t stop there, as she became the first and only player to defend two titles this year when she lifted the trophy in Miami.
Defeating Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff in back-to-back matches, the Belarusian extended her Miami Open winning streak to 12, clinching the title in style.
Aryna Sabalenka’s 12-match winning streak in Miami
- 1. 2025 Miami Open 2R [WIN] vs Viktoriya Tomova, 6-3, 6-0
- 2. 2025 Miami Open 3R [WIN] vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-1 (RET)
- 3. 2025 Miami Open 4R [WIN] vs Danielle Collins, 6-4, 6-4
- 4. 2025 Miami Open QF [WIN] vs Qinwen Zheng, 6-2, 7-5
- 5. 2025 Miami Open SF [WIN] vs Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 6-2
- 6. 2025 Miami Open F [WIN] vs Jessica Pegula, 7-5, 6-2
- 7. 2026 Miami Open 2R [WIN] vs Ann Li, 7-6, 6-4
- 8. 2026 Miami Open 3R [WIN] vs Caty McNally, 6-4, 6-2
- 9. 2026 Miami Open 4R [WIN] vs Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 6-4
- 10. 2026 Miami Open QF [WIN] vs Hailey Baptiste, 6-4, 6-4
- 11. 2026 Miami Open SF [WIN] vs Elena Rybakina, 6-4, 6-3
- 12. 2026 Miami Open F [WIN] vs Coco Gauff, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
She would love nothing more than to defend a third title of the year when she heads to the US Open this fall.
For all her success elsewhere on tour, Sabalenka still hasn’t won a Grand Slam in 2026, and what better place to change that than at Flushing Meadows, where she won in 2024 and 2025.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – Open Occitanie
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime proved his excellence on indoor hard courts once again at this year’s Open Occitanie in Montpellier.
For the second year running, Auger-Aliassime dropped just one set en route to the title.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s eight-match winning streak in Montpellier
- 1. 2025 Open Occitanie 2R [WIN] vs Arthur Cazaux, 6-4, 7-6
- 2. 2025 Open Occitanie QF [WIN] vs Bu Yunchaokete, 6-3, 6-4
- 3. 2025 Open Occitanie SF [WIN] vs Jesper De Jong, 6-4, 7-6
- 4. 2025 Open Occitanie F [WIN] vs Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6
- 5. 2026 Open Occitanie 2R [WIN] vs Stan Wawrinka, 6-4, 7-6
- 6. 2026 Open Occitanie QF [WIN] vs Arthur Fils, 6-4, 6-2
- 7. 2026 Open Occitanie SF [WIN] vs Titouan Droguet, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1
- 8. 2026 Open Occitanie F [WIN] vs Adrian Mannarino, 6-3, 7-6
The win took the Canadian to eight tour-level titles on indoor hard courts.
Jessica Pegula – Charleston Open
Jessica Pegula has only ever won two clay-court titles, and it just so happens she’s won them at the same event, in back-to-back years.
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The American star won her first title on clay a year ago in Charleston and repeated the feat in 2026.
And Pegula had to work hard for her second Charleston Open title, winning four three-set matches on her way to the final where she dispatched Yuliia Starodubtseva in straight sets.
Jessica Pegula’s 10-match winning streak in Charleston
- 1. 2025 Charleston Open 2R [WIN] vs Iryna Shymanovich, 6-0, 6-3
- 2. 2025 Charleston Open 3R [WIN] vs Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-3, 6-2
- 3. 2025 Charleston Open QF [WIN] vs Danielle Collins, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0
- 4. 2025 Charleston Open SF [WIN] vs Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
- 5. 2025 Charleston Open F [WIN] vs Sofia Kenin, 6-3, 7-5
- 6. 2026 Charleston Open 2R [WIN] vs Yulia Putintseva, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
- 7. 2026 Charleston Open 3R [WIN] vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6
- 8. 2026 Charleston Open QF [WIN] vs Diana Shnaider, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
- 9. 2026 Charleston Open SF [WIN] vs Iva Jovic, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
- 10. 2026 Charleston Open F [WIN] vs Yuliia Starodubtseva, 6-2, 6-2
Jannik Sinner – Wimbledon
Italy’s Jannik Sinner is the only player to have retained a Grand Slam singles title in 2026.
After a slow start, being forced into a decider by Miomir Kecmanovic, Sinner recovered to win his second consecutive Wimbledon title.
Jannik Sinner’s 14-match winning streak at Wimbledon
- 1. 2025 Wimbledon 1R [WIN] vs Luca Nardi, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0
- 2. 2025 Wimbledon 2R [WIN] vs Aleksandar Vukic, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
- 3. 2025 Wimbledon 3R [WIN] vs Pedro Martinez, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
- 4. 2025 Wimbledon 4R [WIN] vs Grigor Dimitrov, 3-6, 5-7, 2-2 (RET)
- 5. 2025 Wimbledon QF [WIN] vs Ben Shelton, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4
- 6. 2025 Wimbledon SF [WIN] vs Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
- 7. 2025 Wimbledon F [WIN] vs Carlos Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
- 8. 2026 Wimbledon 1R [WIN] vs Miomir Kecmanovic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3
- 9. 2026 Wimbledon 2R [WIN] vs Nuno Borges, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
- 10. 2026 Wimbledon 3R [WIN] vs Jenson Brooksby, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
- 11. 2026 Wimbledon 4R [WIN] vs Shintaro Mochizuki, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3
- 12. 2026 Wimbledon QF [WIN] vs Jan-Lennard Struff, 7-5, 7-6, 6-3
- 13. 2026 Wimbledon SF [WIN] vs Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
- 14. 2026 Wimbledon F [WIN] vs Alexander Zverev, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4
The world number one has another four titles to defend this year: The China Open, Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals.
Whether he can defend all four remains to be seen.
His next task is a trip to Montreal, where he will attempt to win his first Canadian Open since 2023.
