World number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered a dramatic collapse in the French Open quarter-finals as 25th seed Diana Shnaider mounted a remarkable comeback to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-0. Sabalenka had looked in control after taking the first set and moving 4-1 up in the second, but Shnaider ripped through the remainder of the match, taking 12 of the final 13 games to complete one of the tournament’s biggest shocks.
The defeat left Sabalenka visibly distraught. The Belarusian, who reached last year’s final at Roland Garros, said she’d fallen into “a very deep, dark hole” mentally and struggled to recover her focus as the match unravelled. After the loss she admitted: “No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now,” adding she hoped to regain her composure in the coming days.
Blustery conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier played a part in the scoreboard swing. Sabalenka, whose game relies on heavy, aggressive hitting, was plagued by the wind and finished with 57 unforced errors. Her frustration was clear throughout the match — she flung her arms up, roared in anger and appeared to vent at her team as unforced errors mounted. The collapse drew echoes of last year’s final, when she lost a lead to Coco Gauff amid a similar error-strewn display.
Shnaider, playing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final, produced a composed and fearless performance as she turned the tide. The left-hander’s forehand winners and improved consistency from the second set onwards left Sabalenka unable to find answers. After the match Shnaider said she was “speechless” and that facing the world number one simply required fighting for every point.
With Sabalenka out, Russia’s Mirra Andreeva — seeded eighth — is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the women’s draw. Shnaider will meet qualifier Maja Chwalinska in an unexpected semi-final after the Pole upset Anna Kalinskaya earlier on Wednesday. Andreeva, who pairs with Shnaider in doubles, will play in-form 15th seed Marta Kostyuk in the other semi.
The result is another example of the wide-open nature of this year’s tournament. Several pre-tournament favourites, including four-time champion Iga Swiatek and reigning champion Coco Gauff, were eliminated earlier than expected. Along with recent upsets in the men’s draw — notably Jannik Sinner’s second-round loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo — the exits of Sabalenka, Sinner, Gauff and Novak Djokovic mean this is the first Grand Slam since the 1977 French Open without a former major champion in either semi-final.
For Sabalenka the loss is a bitter missed opportunity. Although she has four major titles to her name and an outstanding record of deep runs — she has reached the semi-finals in 12 of her past 13 Grand Slam appearances — she has now again surrendered a commanding position in a major match. Earlier this year in the Australian Open final she led in the deciding set before Elena Rybakina staged a comeback to deny her a title; at Roland Garros she could not withstand Shnaider’s momentum.
After a brief embrace at the net, Sabalenka left the court quickly, leaving questions about her mental resilience under pressure and how she will regroup. For Shnaider, the victory marks a career-defining breakthrough and sets up a semi-final appearance few would have predicted when the tournament began.