Sabalenka's explosive reaction after Roland Garros defeat: 'I'll quit tennis!'

In a significant upset at Roland Garros, world number one Aryna Sabalenka was defeated in the quarterfinals by the 22-year-old Russian Diana Shnaider. The match concluded with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 0-6, ending Sabalenka's impressive streak of six consecutive Grand Slam semifinals.

Shnaider's victory was particularly remarkable as she came back from a set down and a deficit in the second set. She dominated the final two sets, winning twelve of the next thirteen games and the last ten consecutively. Shnaider attributed her comeback to adapting to Sabalenka's game and the windy conditions in Paris, focusing on playing point by point.

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For the first time in the quarterfinals, I am certainly very emotional. I feel that, at the beginning, I was trying to adapt to her game and then to the wind. I was trying to figure out how to play. I was just trying to focus. To take it point by point, without thinking about the score. I told myself that I would just try to give my all until the end. That I would try to fight for every point and run after every ball.

Sabalenka, who had been a favorite to win the tournament after other top seeds were eliminated, struggled significantly with unforced errors, accumulating 57 throughout the match, with 17 in the final set. She admitted to a complete mental disconnect, stating, "I fell into a very, very deep and very dark hole." This loss marks the first time she has lost a set to love since a match in Dubai in 2024.

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Without thoughts, without emotions. I just want to quit tennis now, but we'll see in a few days. I hope to regain my mental balance. I feel that I had some very good opportunities in the second set. I missed them all. Then she took the initiative and played very well. Mentally, I couldn't recover after that second set. I think this is the biggest mistake I made. I fell into a very, very deep and very dark hole.

The Belarusian player expressed profound frustration and disappointment. "Without thoughts, without emotions. I just want to quit tennis now, but we'll see in a few days," Sabalenka said. She acknowledged missing crucial opportunities in the second set, which allowed Shnaider to gain momentum. "Mentally, I couldn't recover after that second set. I think this is the biggest mistake I made," she added.

Shnaider's win is her second against a Top 10 player and makes her the second-youngest active player with a Grand Slam semifinal appearance, after Mirra Andreeva. The tournament continues to be marked by surprises, with a new Grand Slam champion expected in both the men's and women's singles.

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I don't know when the last time I lost ten games in a row happened. I don't know why they left the roof open when there was so much wind.