Roland-Garros: Sabalenka crashes out to Shnaider in a historic quarterfinal meltdown
She was up 4-1 in the second set with two breaks in hand. She served at 5-4, 30-15 for the match. And then it all vanished. Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, completely unraveled on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday, coughing up a brutal 10 games in a row as she fell to Russia’s Diana Shnaider 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 in two hours and 12 minutes. One of the most stunning and baffling collapses this centre court has seen in years.
The Belarusian had looked in full control early on, taking charge of the match before slipping almost imperceptibly in the second set. The first cracks showed with a service game she dropped, then the unforced errors piled up, 57 in all across the match. In blustery conditions that echoed her defeat to Coco Gauff in last year’s final, Sabalenka was caught by her own demons at exactly the wrong time.
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Shnaider into the semifinals, Sabalenka left to pick up the pieces
On the other side of the net, Diana Shnaider held her nerve and took full advantage of the implosion across the court. The 23-year-old Russian, ranked 25th in the world, is through to the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. She will face surprise Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska, ranked 114th, on Thursday for a place in the final. A wildly open women’s draw, and another reminder that this French Open has no interest in following the script.
For Sabalenka, the disappointment is huge. She had a golden chance to win the Paris title for the first time, with a seventh straight Grand Slam semifinal within reach. The setup was there, the opponent was there for the taking, and still it slipped away. This feels like another scar on the Paris clay, after last year’s final loss to Gauff. A few days away from the court will probably be needed just to stomach a defeat this ugly.
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