World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka endured a devastating performance at the Roland Garros quarterfinals on Wednesday, letting a one-set-and-two-break lead slip as Diana Shnaider fought back to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-0. Sabalenka led 4-1 in the second set, then served for the match at 5-4 and was two points from victory before losing 12 of the next 13 games.
“I just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after the match. “We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get my spirit back.”
This was not the first time Sabalenka squandered a lead at Roland Garros. In last year’s final, she also won the opening set against Coco Gauff before losing due to a cascade of unforced errors. This time the Belarusian’s mood was even darker: “You know those rooms you walk into and break everything? I’ll probably spend the whole day there breaking things. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn’t.”
For Shnaider, it was a career-first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. “I’m speechless. Extremely happy,” the Russian said. “I just tried to focus point by point, not think about the score. She’s world No.1, so I gave my best.”
Sabalenka stood motionless and screamed after losing a point that gave her a 0-30 deficit in the sixth game of the deciding set. Although she saved two match points from 0-40, she eventually netted a shot to hand Shnaider the win. “I think it’s a combination of everything,” Sabalenka lamented. “You overthink, then you make easy mistakes, then you miss your chances.”
Shnaider will face Maja Chwalinska in the semifinals. The Polish player continued her fairy-tale run at Roland Garros by defeating No.22 seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (3), 6-3. Chwalinska came through qualifying and became the second Polish woman to reach a Paris semifinal after Iga Swiatek. She said she draws inspiration from Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open title at age 18.
This year's tournament has seen a series of upsets: defending champion Coco Gauff fell in the third round, Swiatek in the fourth, and both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic exited early. It marks the first time since the 1977 French Open that a Grand Slam men’s or women’s singles semifinal lineup features no former champion.
In the men’s draw, No.10 seed Flavio Cobolli defeated No.4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and will meet Matteo Arnaldi in the semifinals. Arnaldi advanced after Matteo Berrettini retired with a left hip injury trailing 7-5, 5-2. The other men’s semifinal features Alexander Zverev against Jakub Mensik.
