Aryna Sabalenka really stands out on the WTA Tour after Coco Gauff withdrew from the Wuhan Open.
Gauff confirmed she would not be playing this year’s Wuhan Open, where she won the title last year, due to fatigue.
The Wuhan Open tournament is the final tournament of the 2026 season, and an event where Sabalenka has won the title three times before.
Sabalenka has struggled to find form recently, but Gauff withdrawing from the Wuhan Open means she is the only player on the WTA Tour to achieve an impressive feat this year.
Which of these four WTA players will win the most Grand Slams next year?
Sabalenka, Gauff and Swiatek all went without a major title in 2026…
Aryna Sabalenka is the only WTA player to have defended a Grand Slam or 1000 title in 2026
Sabalenka has not won another title since the Miami Open in March, where she defended her title to complete the Sunshine Double.
The Belarusian has since played nine tournaments without a title, but after Gauff announced that she would not be defending the Wuhan Open title, Sabalenka is confirmed as the only WTA player to have defended a Grand Slam or 1000 title this year.
Sabalenka is also the only player to have reached the final of a title she was defending at this level, having also done so more recently at the US Open, where she was beaten in the final by Elena Rybakina.
The player who has come closest to replicating Iga Swiatek, who reached the semi-finals in her title defence of the Cincinnati Open.
Other than players like Gauff who have not competed in the Grand Slam or WTA 1000 tournament where they were the defending champion, Amanda Anisimova had the worst title defence after retiring in the second round of the Qatar Open earlier this year.
| Grand Slam/WTA 1000 tournament | Player who won the title in 2025 | Their result in 2026 |
| Australian Open | Madison Keys | Fourth Round |
| Roland Garros | Coco Gauff | Third Round |
| Wimbledon | Iga Swiatek | Third Round |
| US Open | Aryna Sabalenka | Final |
| Qatar Open | Amanda Anisimova | Second Round |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Mirra Andreeva | Quarter-final |
| Indian Wells | Mirra Andreeva | Third Round |
| Miami Open | Aryna Sabalenka | Won the title |
| Madrid Open | Aryna Sabalenka | Quarter-final |
| Italian Open | Jasmine Paolini | Third Round |
| Canadian Open | Victoria Mboko | Did not play |
| Cincinnati Open | Iga Swiatek | Semi-final |
| China Open | Amanda Anisimova | Did not play |
| Wuhan Open | Coco Gauff | Did not play |
Elena Rybakina could still defend the WTA Finals title
While no player other than Sabalenka has defended their title at a Grand Slam or WTA 1000 tournament this year, world number one Rybakina can still defend another big title.
Rybakina won the WTA Finals after beating Sabalenka in the final last year, and she will be able to defend her title at this year’s event.
However, there are currently concerns about Rybakina, who also withdrew from the Wuhan Open after struggling with a foot injury in her opening match defeat in Beijing.
Not only is Rybakina battling with injury, but she would also have to achieve something that has not been done in 12 years.
In the past 10 editions of the WTA Finals the previous year’s champion has been unable to defend the title, with Serena Williams the last to do so in 2014 after winning her third consecutive title at the tournament, something Rybakina will be hoping to change.
