The turmoil at Roland Garros 2026 continued on Wednesday with the latest shocking upset as No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka broke a set and a two-break lead against No. 25 Diana Schneider (3-6, 7-5, 6-0) in the quarterfinals.
Sabalenka opened the second set with a 4-1 lead and appeared to be in complete control, but as the wind picked up on Court Philippe-Chatrier midway through the second set, Sabalenka fell into a familiar self-defeating pattern. From there, she held serve just one more time for the rest of the match, blanking the third and final set in a truly amazing meltdown.
Sabalenka racked up 57 unforced errors in the game, most of which came in the second half of the match, and she was unable to prevent a spiral when things started to go south.
It’s not the first time the world number one has been derailed by this kind of meltdown. As talented as she is as a player, Sabalenka’s toughest opponent is often herself. As the third set progressed and she continued to drop service games, Sabalenka screamed at herself, desperately trying to turn things around, but all she could do was dig herself into a deeper hole.
To her credit, Schneider produced a strong level of play and recognized the opportunity in front of her as Sabalenka spiraled. Even when Sabalenka was struggling, not every player could display the quality of tennis needed to beat Sabalenka, but Schneider served well, was able to avoid mistakes, and allowed Sabalenka to induce them.
Schneider will face Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals, which no one expected, but Sabalenka’s loss means the first Grand Slam winner will be decided in both the women’s and men’s draws at Roland Garros. The other women’s semifinal will pit world No. 8 Mila Andreeva against world No. 15 Marta Kostyuk, with the winner expected to be the favorite to win her first major title.
