Sabalenka wind – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka crashed out of the French Open after a brutal collapse against Diana Shnaider, with the Roland Garros wind fueling a visible meltdown that included an apology after she booted a ball toward ball kids and a line judge crowd.
By the time the wind got loud over Philippe Chatrier, Aryna Sabalenka looked like she was fighting two opponents at once. The world number one arrived in Paris chasing a fifth Grand Slam title and, in the second set, she was cruising—leading 4-1 as she had already taken the opening set 6-3.
Then everything flipped. Sabalenka lost 10 games in a row on her way to defeat to No. 25 Diana Shnaider. with the Russian winning and knocking her out of the French Open despite Sabalenka being just two points away from victory and a place in the semi-final. Overall, Sabalenka lost 12 of the last 13 games.
The collapse didn’t stay on court. At one point in the match. Sabalenka shouted at herself after hitting the ball into the net. and the stands responded with a round of applause as she visibly struggled to manage the conditions. The wind kept whipping dust into her face, repeatedly forcing Sabalenka to stop and wave it away.
At the most chaotic moment, a missed first serve sent the ball skimming toward a line judge and ball kids. When she became frustrated, Sabalenka booted the ball, and it bounced into the crowd. She was forced to apologize afterward.
When asked to sum up her mental state after the loss, Sabalenka didn’t dress it up. She said: “No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis right now… but we’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I can get back on track, mentally.”
Shnaider. who made history of her own by producing the upset. said she was “speechless” and described the pressure in the moment. “Honestly, I am speechless,” Shnaider said. “I am super happy, it was tough conditions with the wind and the first time playing her. I was super nervous. The first set was just trying to get used to her game and the conditions.”.
She added that she simply kept working point by point. “She is the world number one so I just tried to do my best until the end and fight for every point.”
The defeat also snapped a run for Sabalenka’s momentum. After taking the first set and moving ahead 4-1 in the second, she suffered her first bagel since 2024 in the decider.
Even the details of her presence in Paris carried a message: Sabalenka continued to wear the diamond and garnet necklaces and matching earrings worth £75,000, the same set she had worn during her pre-tournament media protest demanding more prize money.
Her exit also reshaped what the French Open will look like next. It will be the first time a Grand Slam reaches the semi-final stage without a former champion in either the men’s or women’s singles draws.
And in the background, the day already held another jolt: Sabalenka’s defeat came after Jannik Sinner crashed out in the searing Parisian heat.
Aryna Sabalenka French Open Roland Garros Diana Shnaider Philippe Chatrier wind apology ball kids line judge world number one Jannik Sinner semi-finals