In a French Open that has been defined by premature exits, Aryna Sabalenka is the latest to fall. The women’s No. 1 looked strong against Diana Shnaider early, but faltered as the match went on, leading to yet another major upset at the event.
Sabalenka took an early lead — and even threatened a quick win in the match — before Shnaider stormed back to win it (3-6, 7-5, 6-0).
The wind was a factor for both players early, as gusts as high as 26 mph affected serves and shots in the first set. Sabalenka managed to adjust to the weather quickly, picking up a 6-3 win to take the first set.
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Sabalenka threatened to close the book on Shnaider early, going up 4-1 in the second set. But Shnaider battled back, taking the next two games. After a hard-fought eighth game, Sabalenka went up 5-3, and sat just a game away from winning the match. At that point, Shnaider reeled off four straight wins, taking the second set 7-5 and putting Sabalenka on upset alert.
It marked the first time throughout the event that Sabalenka dropped a set.
From there, Shnaider couldn’t be stopped. The Russian jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the final set thanks to strong play and uncharacteristic mistakes from Sabalenka.
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With the momentum now fully on her side, Shnaider easily closed out Sabalenka in the final game, taking the last set 6-0 and winning the match.
For Shnaider, the win extends her best-ever performance in a Grand Slam. Prior to the 2026 French Open, the farthest Shnaider had ever lasted in the Grand Slam came in 2024, when she reached the fourth round of the US Open. With her win Wednesday, Shnaider has now reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
While the competition should get easier from here, Shnaider will run into another surprise story in the semifinal round. Maja Chwalińska managed an upset over No. 22 seed Anna Kalinskaya early Wednesday. The two have met just once in their careers, with Shnaider winning that match.
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For Sabalenka, it marks yet another disappointing defeat at the French Open. Though she’s made deep runs at the event in each of the past four years, she has never won the French Open.
Coming into Wednesday, it looked as though this was Sabalenka’s best opportunity to win the event. The women’s side of the bracket was decimated by early upsets, leaving No. 8 Mirra Andreeva as the highest-seeded competitor left for Sabalenka.
Following Shnaider’s upset Wednesday, that matchup won’t happen. Andreeva will likely be considered the favorite moving forward, but it appears to be anyone’s game on the women’s side of the bracket.
