The amount of daily upsets at the 2026 French Open is verging on unbelievable. On Wednesday the latest and perhaps most shocking one happened when WTA World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka lost to Diana Shnaider in three sets in the quarterfinals.
Shnaider, 22, is a fine player, in singles and doubles, with five WTA titles to her credit; three at the 250 level and two at the 500 level. Partnered with Mirra Andreeva, she won the 2025 Miami Open, a WTA 1000 event.
This match was on Sabalenka’s tennis racquet in the second set with a two break lead. Sabalenka has finished as a quarterfinalist or better every year at Roland Garros since 2023, with a semifinal finish in 2023 and as a finalist in 2025. That’s why her reaction at the post match press conference was completely relatable.
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What Sabalenka said
It was really what she didn’t say. She seemed frustrated, exhausted, annoyed, and geniunely confused what happened. Sabalenka said she had no reaction or words to describe it.
Jun 1, 2026; Paris, France; Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot during her match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on day nine at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
She added that she wanted to quit tennis right now and hopes to have a better mental outlook in a day or so.
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Sabalenka is accruing Grand Slam heartbreaks
We celebrate Sabalenka’s durability, consistency, and high level of play, but she is accruing Grand Slam scar tissue from big moments that did not go her way.
In Grand Slam finals alone, she suffered painful 2025 and 2026 Australian Open losses to Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina and 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open losses to Coco Gauff.
The French Open is a tough Grand Slam to win, and the fact that Shnaider is a crafty lefty, and the windy conditions were factors. However, we have never seen Sabalenka get bageled in a third set; usually the third sets, even in defeat, are tight.
It is alarming to see the normally bubbly and gregarious World No. 1 Sabalenka talk this way. It underscores how hard it is to compete week after week on the WTA Tour and how important mental health is for these players so that they can weather the inevitable losses and low points.
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