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 s
