World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s dream of winning her first French Open title came crashing down in an improbable quarterfinal defeat to Russian 25th seed Diana Shnaider on Wednesday. On a gusty Philippe-Chatrier court, Sabalenka took the first set 6-3 and led 4-1 in the second, only to rack up a shocking 57 unforced errors and lose the next two sets 7-5, 6-0.
Shnaider, 22, who had never before beaten a top-10 player, said: “Honestly, I’m speechless – I’m extremely happy. The conditions were tough, but I’m glad I finished well. This tournament is special to me.”
Sabalenka, from Belarus, was the last Grand Slam champion remaining in the women’s singles draw at Roland-Garros. She was playing in her 14th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, but fell short of becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to reach seven consecutive major semi-finals.
Shnaider will next face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska, ranked 114th in the world, in Thursday’s semifinal. The winner of that match will meet either Marta Kostyuk or Mirra Andreeva in Sunday’s final. Shnaider called the semifinal a “lefty fight”.
In the first set, Sabalenka raced to a 5-1 lead and closed it out 6-3. The second set saw her surge ahead 4-1 with two breaks, but she then lost serve immediately. Frustration was evident as she allowed Shnaider to level at 4-4. Although Sabalenka held, continued errors let Shnaider win four straight games to take the set 7-5. In the third set, Shnaider blanked her 6-0 as Sabalenka managed only 14 points. The match ended on Sabalenka’s third match-point error.
