Advertisement

Sabalenka says ‘I want to quit’ after French Open shock

'I just want to quit'

Source: X 

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka says she just wants “to quit tennis right now” after her French Open hopes were blown away in a stunning quarter-final loss to Diana Shnaider.

Sabalenka stormed off the court on Wednesday (local time) after losing 11 of her last 12 games to hand a semi-final place in Paris to the unheralded Russian.

She had been a steady presence in a tournament full of shocks and looked to be easing through to the last four when she led by a set and 4-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

But the blustery conditions, which frequently made the players pause to wipe clay from their eyes, had already caused Sabalenka problems, and those only increased.

Shnaider, seeded 25th, played intelligently in the biggest match of her career, repeatedly asking questions of Sabalenka, and the Belarusian simply did not have the answers.

Sabalenka, runner-up at the Australian Open, lost 11 of the last 12 games, her frustration threatening to boil over completely. She stormed off court after a 3-6 7-5 6-0 defeat.

“No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis right now, but we’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally,” she said.

“I feel I had very decent opportunities in the second set. I screwed up, and then she stepped in and she played great. I feel mentally ​I couldn’t really recover after second set. I think that was the biggest mistake from me.”

Match highlights

Source: X (Roland-Garros) 

Shnaider put her hands on her head in disbelief at the end of the match.

“Honestly, I’m speechless. I’m super happy,” she said.

“Obviously today, a little tough conditions with the wind. First time playing Aryna, super nervous, and first time playing in the quarter-finals of a grand slam.”

Shnaider will face Maja Chwalinska, who has continued her dream run by with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.

The 24-year-old absorbed the power of the 22nd seed superbly. She repeatedly forced Kalinskaya into ‌errors by extending rallies and making her hit an extra shot as she became only the second qualifier in the Open era to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals — and the sixth to achieve the feat at a grand slam.

After an early exchange of breaks, Chwalinska broke Kalinskaya’s serve again and saved two break points to move 4-1 ahead before nerves crept in, allowing Kalinskaya to force a tiebreak.

But Chwalinska, who had won only two Tour-level matches on clay ⁠before this tournament, rediscovered her composure at ‌the ​perfect moment. After a tense nine-shot rally on set point, Kalinskaya sent a ​backhand long ‌to hand the Pole the opening set.

Chwalinska maintained her momentum in the second ​set and, aided by a stream of unforced errors from Kalinskaya, raced into a 4-1 lead.

Kalinskaya snatched a break back for 5-3 but Chwalinska ​sealed ​victory in the next game ​on another unforced error by the Russian.

Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva will meet in the other semi-final.

-with AP

Want to see more stories from The New Daily in your Google search results?

  1. Click here to set The New Daily as a preferred source.
  2. Tick the box next to "The New Daily". That's it.
Advertisement
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter.
Copyright © 2026 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.