The 2023 WTA season has seen the most amount of successful title defences since 2018, with Swiatek retaining the most tournament wins this season.
In 2018, four players successfully defend their WTA titles from the previous season and Elina Svitolina lead the charge when she won the Dubai Tennis Championship and the Italian Open for a second consecutive campaign. However, 2019 had just four successful title retentions and this dipped in 2020 (two), 2021 (one) and 2022 (two).
So far this season, WTA world number one Swiatek has been the most successful player to keep hold of her titles from the 2022 campaign. Most notably, the 22-year-old was able to defend her 2022 Roland Garros title when she defeated Karolina Muchova after a three-set battle in the final.
But, Swiatek has seen further success this year as she kept her titles in the 2023 Qatar Open and the Stuttgart Open. Among the other WTA players to see back-to-back success in 2022 and 2023 include Tatjana Maria, who won the Copa Colsanitas in Colombia, and Ekaterina Alexandrova, who successfully defended her Libema Open title.
With grass court season beginning in recent weeks, there will be plenty of opportunities for more players to extend the list of successful title defenders in the WTA this year. In particular, Elena Rybakina will turn her attention to holding her 2022 Wimbledon title this season.
Swiatek will also have another chance to defend one more title from 2022 this season. The Polish player won the US Open for the first time in 2022 and she will try to retain her silverware in Flushing Meadows late during the campaign.
Other notable wins in the second half of 2022 included Simona Halep's win at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in August, although the Romanian player is currently banned. French player Caroline Garcia will also have the chance to defend her WTA 1000 win at the Cincinnati Masters in August.
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