Aryna Sabalenka was one of the top favorites to win the 2026 French Open. After former champions Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff suffered early blows, the World No. 1’s chances of clinching her first trophy in Paris grew exponentially. She delivered some promising performances in the early rounds, beating the likes of Daria Kasatkina and Naomi Osaka. But her quarterfinal collapse was nothing short of dramatic.
Sabalenka, the 2025 finalist, was knocked out of the tournament by Diana Shnaider with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 score after she squandered a hefty 6-3, 4-1 lead. The upset sent shockwaves in the tennis world, and her criticism of the match conditions didn’t do her any favor.
Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open Outburst Questioned by Rennae Stubbs
Sabalenka and Shnaider contested the quarterfinal in a challenging setting. While the first week of the French Open was marked by an unprecedented heatwave, the second week witnessed rain and windy conditions. Although the wind significantly impacted the quality of play, organizers opted to keep the roof open — a decision that didn’t sit well with Sabalenka, according to her press conference confession.
The World No. 1, however, also admitted that her emotional meltdown may have influenced the result more than the conditions, considering she had a significant lead in the match. WTA coach and former doubles No. 1 Stubbs claimed that Sabalenka’s defeat was largely self-inflicted.
“You’re up a set and 4-1 against a player that has never gotten to a semifinal of a Major. You are crushing them. Yes, it’s windy; yes, the circumstances are not perfect, but you’re up a set and 4-1, so you cannot blame the wind and the sh***y conditions for you losing that match,” she said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
Despite holding the lead, Sabalenka appeared frustrated and animatedly vented her emotions to her coaching team.
“I don’t understand why at a set and 4-1 you’re even remotely p**sed off at anything,” Stubbs said. “She’s yelling at her box. She’s throwing her racket. She’s throwing her arms up in the air. This is the locker room reputation that I talk about all the time. A player like Sabalenka, if she starts to go off a little bit, she can go way off, right?”
Stubbs acknowledged that the 28-year-old has the ability to recover from momentary lapses during matches, but her negative body language during the quarterfinal proved to be her undoing.
“I just don’t know why she would even remotely show negativity because it was all her fault. And then it just fell apart and she couldn’t get it back,” Stubbs said. “Sabalenka has no excuse to lose that match.”
MORE: Aryna Sabalenka Loses Her Temper in Heated Scenes During French Open Collapse
Aryna Sabalenka has yet to win a Grand Slam on natural surfaces. All four of her titles so far have come on the hardcourts of the Australian Open (2023 and 2024) and the US Open (2024 and 2025). The Belarusian star would hope to have a favorable outcome at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. She begins her quest for her career’s first grass-court title in Berlin.
Sabalenka also faces the task of defending her World No. 1 position at the upcoming tournaments, as Elena Rybakina inches closer.
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