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Aryna Sabalenka blew lead to suffer defeat in the French Open 2026 quarterfinal to Diana Shnaider.
Aryna Sabalenka is yet to win a French Open title. (AP Photo)
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka confessed she wants to get as far away from tennis as possible after suffering a stunning quarterfinal exit at the French Open 2026 on Wednesday. Chasing her maiden Roland Garros singles title, Sabalenka appeared to be cruising toward the semifinals after comfortably taking the first set and building a 4-1 lead in the second.
Instead, the Belarusian endured a dramatic collapse, eventually falling 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 to Diana Shnaider.
The defeat left Sabalenka devastated.
“Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.”
The loss was particularly painful given the position she found herself in. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, Sabalenka failed to close it out and went on to lose 12 of the final 13 games against Shnaider, who was competing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
It was a collapse reminiscent of Sabalenka’s defeat to Coco Gauff in last year’s French Open final, where she also won the opening set before unraveling amid a barrage of unforced errors.
Sabalenka admitted the latest setback would take time to process.
“You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything,” Sabalenka said. “Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help, maybe not.”
The top seed also pointed to the challenging conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where the roof remained open despite strong winds.
“I don’t know why would they keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” Sabalenka said. “It was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually just sit there and watch me play.”
As the match slipped away, Sabalenka’s frustration became increasingly visible. She stood still and screamed after losing a point that put her 0-30 down in the sixth game of the deciding set. Although she saved two match points from 0-40 down, she could not prevent defeat, eventually netting a forehand to end the contest.
Reflecting on the collapse, Sabalenka struggled to pinpoint a single cause.
“I just think it’s combination of everything,” Sabalenka lamented. “You overthink, then you make easy mistakes, then you miss opportunities.”
Her emotional struggles echoed those from her loss to Gauff a year ago, when she repeatedly berated herself and looked toward her player box in frustration.
“I just have to sit back and openly think about what’s going on in my head in those tough moments,” Sabalenka said, recalling that match. “Because I’m quite an experienced player. I have been through so many things, and I overcome so many things.”
Signs of tension had appeared even earlier in the match. Sabalenka looked agitated while serving for the opening set despite eventually winning it, and similar nerves surfaced when she stepped up to serve out the match in the second set while leading 30-15.
Schneider sensed the shift.
“Of course I saw some moments of her frustration,” Shnaider said. “I know Aryna, that she’s a very emotional person.”
The Russian capitalized on the opening, breaking Sabalenka before completely taking control of the contest.
“Well, honestly I am speechless. Super happy,” Shnaider said. “I feel like I was trying to focus point by point. Not thinking about the score. She is the world No. 1, so I just trying to do my best. I just had to fight for every point.”
Sabalenka’s frustration only deepened as the final set progressed. After missing a routine volley in the fourth game, she crouched at the net and rested her head on her racket as Shnaider moved relentlessly toward the biggest victory of her career.
Shnaider will next face Maja Chwalinska in the semifinals after the unseeded Pole defeated No. 22 seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (3), 6-3.
The result continued a tournament full of surprises. Defending champion Coco Gauff exited in the third round, four-time champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated in the fourth round, and men’s top seed Jannik Sinner suffered a shock second-round defeat.
According to Opta, it is the first Grand Slam tournament since the French Open in 1977 without a former champion in either the men’s or women’s semifinals.
With AP Inputs
About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
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