Aryna Sabalenka's French Open campaign ended in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, losing to Diana Shnaider in the quarter-final. Having built a lead of 6-3, 5-2 and moved within touching distance of the semi-finals, Sabalenka was unable to halt a remarkable momentum shift as Shnaider stormed back to claim victory.
The turnaround was particularly striking given Sabalenka's status entering the latter stages of the tournament. With other major champions already eliminated from the draw, she had emerged as one of the leading contenders for the title. Instead, her challenge came to an abrupt end after she lost 10 consecutive games and was handed a 6-0 defeat in the deciding set. Speaking after the match, Sabalenka admitted she was struggling to process what had happened.
"No thoughts, no emotion. I want to quit tennis right now. We'll see in a few days. Hopefully I can get back on track – mentally,” Sabalenka told the press.
The defeat also marked another missed opportunity for the four-time Grand Slam champion to secure a major title away from hard courts. Despite her success at the Australian Open and US Open, trophies on clay and grass have continued to elude her. Reflecting on the collapse, Sabalenka pointed to a mental battle she was unable to overcome once the match began slipping away.
"I don't know when was the last time that happened to me, that I lost ten games in a row. I guess mentally I got into a very deep, deep dark hole over there, and I just couldn't get back on track mentally,” she said.
What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger: Sabalenka on comeback
Notably, her frustration was evident throughout the closing stages of the contest as errors mounted. By the end of the match, she had accumulated 57 unforced errors while Shnaider completed the biggest win of her Grand Slam career. In the meantime, after the game, Sabalenka was asked how she planned to move forward from the disappointment. To which, the World No. 1 struggled to offer an answer.
"I honestly don't know. I guess I don't know. I don't know. Well, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, I guess. At some point I’ll figure out the situation and we’ll get back tougher. By the way, I just figured out how I can overcome it – one of those rooms where you go in and smash everything. Probably I’ll spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it’ll help, maybe not,” Sabalenka said.
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