Aryna Sabalenka lost to Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals of the French Open, 6-3, 5-7, 0-6.
The Belarusian looked set for the semis when, once again, her game fell apart in the Parisian wind.
What’s next for Aryna Sabalenka after shock French Open exit?
Sabalenka wasn’t happy with the decision to keep the roof open during her match and will be even more unhappy when she finds out what happened in the men’s quarter-final that followed.
Aryna Sabalenka has reason to be annoyed as Roland Garros closes the roof during the men’s quarter-finals
After Felix Auger-Aliassime survived extreme wind and won the first set of his quarter-final match against Flavio Cobolli on Court Philippe Chatrier, the tournament organisers closed the roof.
Those in charge decided that the winds had become too strong for play to resume without a change.
Sabalenka will be furious that they didn’t make that call during her match.
On several occasions during her three-set defeat to Shnaider, the world number one looked up to the skies, desperate for the weather to calm.
But it wasn’t to be, as her hard-hitting game came unstuck in the tricky conditions, just like it did in last year’s French Open final.
Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff on a windy day a year ago and suffered the same fate against Shnaider in this year’s quarter-finals.
She refused to change tactics, continuing to search for the lines, which proved to be her downfall.
We will never know if a closed roof would have changed the outcome of the match, but it’s hard to imagine Sabalenka would have capitulated quite so spectacularly in stable conditions.
During her post-match press conference, Sabalenka made her feelings on the wind clear.
“I don’t know why they would keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” she said.
“I remember even from last year they kept the roof open for us, and then the next day, in similar conditions, they closed it for the men, to make better conditions and better quality of tennis, I believe.
“I don’t know why they would keep it open.
“Even though I was winning, it was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually sit there and watch.”
Sabalenka has plenty of questions to answer over the coming days, having let another big lead slip because of the weather.
But she does raise a fair point about the conditions, and it will be interesting to see how Roland Garros explain their decision to close the roof for Cobolli and Auger-Aliassime, but not Sabalenka and Shnaider…
Mats Wilander describes Roland Garros conditions as ‘ridiculous’
During TNT Sports’ coverage of Cobolli and Auger-Aliassime’s quarter-final, former French Open champion Mats Wilander delivered his verdict on the conditions.
“At times it looks like it’s two beginners playing tennis, to be honest,” he said.
“When you’re with the wind, the ball doesn’t actually come to you at all.
“I saw Felix [Auger-Aliassime] shank a couple of balls where he literally was two metres away and had to stretch to even make contact with the ball.
“It’s actually ridiculous; it’s so windy that it’s ridiculous.”
The Swede assessed how the wind affected Auger-Aliassime and Cobolli differently.
“Felix Auger-Aliassime serves a little bit better, a little bit harder, I should say, than [Flavio] Cobolli, so he’s going to get a few more unreturned serves and I think that’s going to be a huge weapon,” said Wilander.
“And it seems like Felix hits the ball a little bit harder on his forehand, so he can hit through the wind.
“Usually, it’s a big advantage to play with the wind. But today, the wind is so strong that it’s not an advantage all the time, because it swirls around and the ball doesn’t come to you.
“Like John McEnroe said in commentary, you can throw tactics out; you’re literally just trying to keep the ball in play, and you can’t be too passive.”
Auger-Aliassime won the first set in windy conditions 6-4, before Cobolli levelled their quarter-final at one set all with the roof closed.
Who will win the French Open now that Aryna Sabalenka is out?
Sabalenka may be unhappy with the circumstances surrounding her French Open exit, but the facts are that she will have to wait another year for a shot at the ‘Suzanne-Lenglen Cup’.
With the top seed and heavy favourite out of the picture, we will see a first time Grand Slam champion crowned, but who will it be?
Who wins the French Open now Aryna Sabalenka has been eliminated?
Vote now!
Mirra Andreeva, Marta Kostyuk, Shnaider, or Maja Chwalinska will lift the trophy on Saturday afternoon.
The early votes from our fans on TalkingPoints have named Andreeva as the new favourite, ahead of Kostyuk, her semi-final opponent.
TalkingPoints fans predict the French Open winner
- Mirra Andreeva – 43%
- Marta Kostyuk – 37%
- Diana Shnaider – 14%
- Maja Chwalinska – 6%
Andreeva will play Kostyuk, and Shnaider will play Chwalinska in the semi-finals on Thursday, June 4.
