World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka threw away a set and two-break lead to crash out of Roland-Garros, losing 12 of the last 13 games to Diana Shnaider in one of the tournament’s biggest shocks.
IDEA TV Sports Desk: By Tom Solomon
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered one of the most dramatic collapses of her career at the 2026 French Open, surrendering a commanding lead to fall 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 to Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Sabalenka led 4-1 in the second set and stood just two points from victory while serving for the match at 5-4 — before everything fell apart.
Shnaider, appearing in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal, clawed back the second set and then dominated the decider without dropping a single game. Sabalenka, visibly frustrated in blustery conditions at Philippe-Chatrier, made a whopping 57 unforced errors across the match.
“Just want to quit tennis right now. We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.”
— Aryna Sabalenka, post-match
For Shnaider, the victory was a watershed moment. The 22-year-old Russian, seeded 25th, now advances to face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the semifinals — a remarkable achievement for a player who had never before reached the last eight of a major. “Well, honestly I am speechless. Super happy,” she said. “She is the world No. 1, so I just had to fight for every point.”
