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Players with most wins in WTA 1000 events

The WTA 1000 titles are highly sought-after and occupy the second rung of the ladder, after the Grand Slams. From its history as a ‘Tier One’ tournament to its current avatar since 2009, the WTA 1000 format has seen many great names win the trophy.

Here look at the record books and get to know more about the players with the most WTA 1000 titles won ever since the current format was adopted in 2009.    

5. Simona Halep - 9

Simona Halep - 9 WTA 1000 events
Simona Halep (Credits - Tennis.com)

Simona Halep of Romania has won nine WTA 1000 trophies. She won eight of her nine WTA 1000 titles and two Grand Slams between 2014 and 2020 and was also ranked in the top five in that period.

Prior to being involved in the doping scandal, Halep won her ninth and final 1000 title at the National Bank Open in 2022. She received a wildcard for the 2024 Madrid Open after being cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in March of this year.

However, the former World No. 1 did not attend the tournament, claiming that he was not healthy enough to compete in a major event like the Madrid Open.

4. Petra Kvitova - 9

Petra Kvitova - 9 WTA 1000 events
Petra Kvitova (Credits - Eurosport)

Petra Kvitova has nine titles in this format, with three of them coming in Madrid — the most by any player in the WTA. Kvitova won three Madrid championships in 2011, 2015, and 2018. She ranks fourth on the list of players with most matches won, courtesy of her 180 victories in the WTA 1000 format.

Kvitova’s ninth WTA 1000 came at Miami last season, but she could not follow it up with a 10th WTA 1000 title. She exited the follow-up event, the Madrid Open, in the second round.

3. Iga Swiatek - 10

Iga Swiatek - 10 WTA 1000 events
Iga Swiatek (Credits - Sky Sports)

Iga Swiatek defeated two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka in a final that lasted two hours and forty-nine minutes to win her first Madrid Open WTA 1000 trophy, also her ninth at this level.

Her greatest success in the WTA 1000 format was at Doha, where she won three titles (2022-2024), followed by Rome (2021, 2022). Additionally, the Pole boasts of reaching 11 finals in 29 main draw appearances (37.9%), which puts her just ahead of Serena Williams.

Swiatek also tied Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova (29) for the fewest number of matches needed to earn 25 WTA 1000 wins on clay during her run for the title in Madrid.

2. Victoria Azarenka - 10

Victoria Azarenka - 10 WTA 1000 events
Victoria Azarenka (Credits - Sky Sports)

Victoria Azarenka leads the list of active players for WTA 1000 titles. Since debuting in the main draw in 2005, the Belarusian has won 10 WTA 1000 titles. In this format, she won six singles trophies and the remaining six are doubles trophies.

At the just finished Madrid Open, Azarenka achieved a personal milestone by defeating Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-1 in the second round to record her 200th WTA 1000 level victory.

1. Serena Williams - 13

Serena Williams - 13 WTA 1000 events
Serena Williams (Credits - Tennis.com)

Serena Williams has won 73 WTA titles, including 13 WTA 1000 titles. Her record of WTA 1000 titles was set eight years back after she took home her final WTA 1000 title in Rome in 2016. In comparison to her main draw appearances, Williams advanced to the WTA 1000 finals with a score of 18 out of 49 (36.7%).

The younger Williams' success story doesn't stop there. She set an Open Era record with 23 Grand Slam singles titles over the course of her 18-season career. At Flushing Meadows, she was also among the youngest to lift the trophy. Serena was only 17 when she won the US Open in 1999, making her only the second African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title, after Althea Gibson.

Cover Credits - Sky Sports

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