Sabalenka ousted by Shnaider as shocks continue to rock French Open
PARIS: Aryna Sabalenka was dumped out of the French Open on a windy Wednesday at Roland Garros as Diana Shnaider staged an inspired comeback to beat the world number one 3-6 7-5 6-0 and further blow open the draw heading into the semifinals. In a tournament that has already witnessed several shocks, including premature exits for defending champion Coco Gauff and four-times winner Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka’s collapse was another unexpected jolt through the field. With world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-times major winner Novak Djokovic also early casualties, it means that for the first time since the 1977 edition of Roland Garros there will be no Grand Slam champion featuring in the semifinals of a major. “No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis now,” a downbeat Sabalenka told reporters after her defeat. “We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally. “I don’t know when was the last time that happened to me that I lost 10 games in a row. I guess mentally I got into very deep, dark hole over there, and I just couldn’t get back on track mentally.” While Sabalenka was left to rue her missed chances after going a set and a break up and being two points from winning the match, Shnaider said she had taken lessons from the Belarusian’s struggles in last year’s wind-hit final.
