World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka upset by Diana Shnaider in French Open quarterfinals

Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open ended on June 3 with a quarterfinal collapse against Diana Shnaider after the world No. 1 led by a set and two breaks at Roland-Garros. Sabalenka lost 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 to the 25th-seeded Russian, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal after winning the final 10 games of the match. Roland-Garros said Sabalenka served for the match at 5-4 in the second set before the momentum turned. Sabalenka later said she fell into a “deep, dark hole” mentally during the defeat, and told reporters she wanted to quit tennis “right now.” ### How did Sabalenka let the match get away? Sabalenka was up 6-3, 4-1 and appeared in control before her level dropped sharply in windy conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier. NBC reported she was two points from victory when serving at 5-4 in the second set, but Shnaider broke back and then ran away with the decider. Roland-Garros said the Russian won the last 10 games to close out the upset. (rolandgarros.com) The 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 scoreline captured how abruptly the match shifted. BBC’s report, carried by Yahoo Sports, said Sabalenka unraveled after missing her chance to finish the contest in straight sets. ### What did Sabalenka say after the loss? Sabalenka said after the match that she had gone into “a very deep, dark hole” once the second set slipped away. (nbcnewyork.com) BBC’s report said she described the defeat as one of those matches where she could not stop the slide once it started. (sports.yahoo.com) CNN and other outlets reported a blunter quote from her post-match comments: “I just want to quit tennis right now.” USA Today carried the same remark, reporting it after the quarterfinal defeat in Paris on June 3. ### Who is Diana Shnaider, and how big is this run? (sports.yahoo.com) Diana Shnaider is the No. 25 seed and had not previously reached a Grand Slam semifinal before this run in Paris. Roland-Garros said the 22-year-old produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets by knocking out the top seed from a set down. (usatoday.com) Shnaider said after the match that she was “speechless” and “super happy,” according to NBC’s report from Roland-Garros. Her comeback kept a volatile women’s draw moving in the same direction, with another top favorite out before the final weekend. (rolandgarros.com) ### How did the other semifinal spot open up? Maja Chwalinska reached her first Grand Slam semifinal on the same day by beating Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets. BBC reported that the Polish qualifier continued her unexpected run, and Roland-Garros said the victory matched the best result by a women’s singles qualifier in the Open era at the tournament. (nbcnewyork.com) Chwalinska’s win means the bottom half of the women’s draw will now be decided by two players who began the event outside the group of leading title favorites. BBC said Chwalinska defeated the 22nd seed, Kalinskaya, to extend what it called her dream run in Paris. ### What happens next in Paris? The French Open women’s semifinals will feature Diana Shnaider against Maja Chwalinska after both won their quarterfinals on June 3. (bbc.com) Roland-Garros and BBC identified that matchup after Chwalinska’s win over Kalinskaya and Shnaider’s comeback against Sabalenka. Sabalenka, meanwhile, leaves Paris still without a French Open title after another missed chance on clay. The next step in this story is Shnaider’s semifinal against Chwalinska, with a place in the Roland-Garros final at stake. (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)