Full story
Sabalenka collapses in Paris
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated from Roland Garros in the quarter-finals after losing 3-6, 7-5 and 6-0 to Russia’s Diana Shnaider.
The match was played in gusty conditions, and Sabalenka “suffered more French Open heartbreak” as she slid from one game from victory to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 defeat.
Sabalenka had led 4-1 in the second set and was up 4-1 and 30-0 before the momentum shifted, with Shnaider forcing the match into the third set.
In the third set, Sabalenka was unable to respond as Shnaider took control and won 6-0, ending Sabalenka’s run after she had reached the final last year and lost to Coco Gauff.
Quotes, nerves, and wind
After the loss, Sabalenka said she wanted “to quit tennis” immediately, telling reporters, “No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now,” she said.
The Guardian also described Sabalenka’s collapse as she lost 10 consecutive games en route to the 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 defeat, and it quoted her saying, “Mentally I got into a very deep, deep, dark hole over there, and I just couldn’t get back on track.”
Shnaider framed her approach around point-by-point focus in the wind, saying, “I was just trying to focus point-by-point, not thinking about the score.”
She also referenced last year’s final against Coco Gauff, saying, “I watched it. I knew that it was also super windy.”
Semifinals set for June 4
With Sabalenka out, Shnaider advanced to the semi-finals and will face the Polish player Maja Chwalinska, with France 24 saying the other semi-final will feature Mirra Andreeva against Marta Kostyuk.
France 24 also stated that the semi-finals will be played with Shnaider’s match set for 4 June, while it described Andreeva as “única superviviente del top 10” and Kostyuk as her opponent.
The New York Times reported that Shnaider will play Poland’s Maja Chwalińska in the semifinals, calling it “a golden opportunity for either to take a step into history.”
Meanwhile, the Guardian said Shnaider reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time in her career, and it described Chwalinska as No 114 in the WTA rankings after her run in Paris.
