World number one Aryna Sabalenka saw her hopes of winning a maiden French Open title come crashing down after a remarkable collapse against Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
Sabalenka appeared to be cruising into the last four when she claimed the opening set 6-3 and raced into a 4-1 lead in the second. However, the Belarusian completely lost control of the match as Shnaider mounted a stunning comeback to secure a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory.
The Russian 25th seed, playing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final, won 12 of the final 13 games to record one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Sabalenka had entered the match as the overwhelming favourite, especially after the exits of several top contenders earlier in the competition.
Windy conditions and mounting errors prove costly
The windy conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier played a major role in the contest. Sabalenka struggled to control her powerful groundstrokes and finished the match with 57 unforced errors. As her performance deteriorated, frustration became increasingly visible, with the top seed repeatedly directing her anger towards her team and reacting emotionally after missed shots.
The defeat echoed memories of last year’s French Open final, where Sabalenka also squandered a one-set lead and accumulated a high number of unforced errors in a loss to Coco Gauff.
After the match, Shnaider admitted she was struggling to process the result.
“Honestly, I am speechless. She is the world number one, so I was just trying to do my best. I had to fight for every point,” she said.
Tournament of surprises continues
Sabalenka’s exit adds to a growing list of shock results at this year’s French Open. Earlier in the tournament, men’s world number one Jannik Sinner was eliminated in the second round, while several other major champions also suffered unexpected defeats.
As a result, this is the first Grand Slam since the 1977 French Open without a former major champion in either the men’s or women’s semi-finals.
Shnaider will now face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals after Chwalinska continued her dream run by defeating Anna Kalinskaya. In the other semi-final, eighth seed Mirra Andreeva will take on Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
For Sabalenka, another opportunity to add a fifth Grand Slam title has slipped away. Despite reaching at least the semi-finals in 12 of her last 13 major appearances, the French Open crown continues to elude the Belarusian star.
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