Aryna Sabalenka had a dramatic collapse during her French Open quarterfinal on Wednesday as she let slip a comfortable lead against Diana Shnaider. As she unraveled on the court, the world No. 1 could be seen taking her frustrations out on her team.
Aryna Sabalenka Lashes Out at Team During Dramatic French Open Exit
Up 6-3, 4-1 against Shnaider, Sabalenka appeared to be en route to a convincing win and securing her spot in the semifinals. However, her campaign unraveled quickly amid windy conditions at Stade Roland-Garros. She committed 57 unforced errors and ultimately fell to Shnaider 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.
As her performance dipped, Sabalenka quickly began voicing her frustration. She could be seen kicking a ball in anger and venting her fury at her box in a stunning meltdown. A video of her meltdown was posted on X.
Lenquejas para comer 😬😬😬
El cabreo de Sabalenka con su box.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/nMZYsxBJdL
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) June 3, 2026
Sabalenka had enjoyed a dominant run in Paris prior to her shocking exit against Shnaider and hadn’t dropped a set before letting slip a 4-1 lead in the second set. But on Wednesday, she lost control of the match midway through the second set. Shnaider sealed arguably the biggest win of her career by storming back and winning the final 10 games.
The third-set bagel marked the first time Sabalenka had been handed a 6-0 set loss since her defeat to Donna Vekić at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2024.
The quarterfinal exit means that Sabalenka’s wait to win a French Open title continues. The 28-year-old, who was beaten in the French Open final by Coco Gauff last year, will view this as a huge missed opportunity to win a maiden title at Stade Roland-Garros in absence of former champions Gauff and Iga ÅšwiÄ…tek.
With this defeat, Sabalenka also becomes the latest victim of what has been a Grand Slam full of upsets. The semifinals of the 2026 French Open will feature none of the top 7 seeds. Shnaider, who is through to her first Grand Slam semifinal, will take on qualifier Maja Chwalińska in the last four. The other semifinal will see Mirra Andreeva face Marta Kostyuk.
Meanwhile, the world No. 1 will now switch her focus to the grass-court season. She has never won a grass-court title and will hope to change that in the lead-up to the Wimbledon Championships. Sabalenka was beaten by Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals at Wimbledon last year.
