Aryna Sabalenka’s defeat to Diana Shnaider will go down as one of the biggest shocks in modern tennis history.
Sabalenka led the Russian 6-1, 5-3 when she conceded 10 consecutive games to lose the Roland Garros quarter-final contest on Court Philippe Chatrier.
It was a truly monumental collapse by the world number one, who was rightly criticised by Chris Evert after the match.
What’s next for Aryna Sabalenka after shock French Open exit?
Sabalenka could not handle the blustery conditions in Paris, striking 57 unforced errors throughout the course of the match.
After Wednesday’s landmark contest, Sabalenka took particular issue with one specific matter.
Aryna Sabalenka left confused by decision not to close the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier
The roof on Court Philippe Chatrier was open during the entire contest, despite the incredibly windy playing conditions inside the stadium.
Sabalenka took issue with the decision to keep the roof open, claiming the match represented ‘dirty tennis.’
“That’s another question – I don’t know why they would keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” Sabalenka said during her post-match press conference in Paris.
“But how can I complain if for almost the whole match everything was working okay for me, and then it just slipped away?”
The Roland Garros Women’s Singles quarter-finals
- Diana Shnaider beat Aryna Sabalenka 1-6, 7-5, 6-0
- Marta Kostyuk beat Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
- Maja Chwalinska beat Anna Kalinskaya 7-6, 6-3
- Mirra Andreeva beat Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3
“I feel like it was getting crazy maybe just because mentally I wasn’t really okay.
“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. And then at some point she stepped in and played unbelievable.”
Two areas of Sabalenka’s game in particular let her down during Wednesday’s contest.
The first issue concerned her consistency from the back of the court.
The Belarusian simply could not keep the ball in play, hitting 57 unforced errors and 75 errors in total.
She just could not appropriately manage the windy conditions, and too often went for shots that have a large margin of error.
Sabalenka’s second serve also let her down. She only won 35 per cent of her second-serve points, while Shnaider won 68 per cent.
| Statistic | Sabalenka | Shnaider |
| Aces | 2 | 1 |
| Double faults | 3 | 1 |
| First serve % | 72 | 75 |
| First serve points won [%] | 57 | 55 |
| Second serve points won [%] | 35 | 68 |
| Winners | 46 | 25 |
| Unforced errors | 57 | 27 |
Who will win Roland Garros?
Following Sabalenka’s historic loss, only four women remain.
Those women are Mirra Andreeva, Marta Kostyuk, Diana Shnaider and world number 114 Maja Chwalinska.
Andreeva is the favourite for the title based on ranking: she is the only top-10 ranked player left in the draw.
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However, based on form, Kostyuk is undoubtedly the favourite for the title.
The Ukrainian, who faces Andreeva in the semi-finals, has won 17 consecutive clay-court matches, winning tournaments in Rouen and Madrid during said run.
Moreover, Kostyuk has already beaten Andreeva twice this year: in Brisbane and the Madrid Open final.
One should also not count out Shnaider and Chwalinska. Both players are worthy semi-finalists and have the tools at their disposal to go on to win the title in Paris.
