At the French Open, which is characterized by early eliminations, Aryna Sabalenka was the latest to be eliminated. The women’s No. 1 looked strong against Diana Schneider in the early going, but faltered as the match progressed, resulting in yet another major upset of the tournament.
After Sabalenka took an early lead and threatened to win the match early, Schneider fought back and won (3-6, 7-5, 6-0).
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After the upset, Sabalenka was stunned and said, “Right now I just want to quit tennis.”
The wind was a factor for both players early on, with wind gusts as high as 26 mph affecting serves and shots in the first set. Sabalenka quickly adapted to the weather and took the first set with a 6-3 victory.
Sabalenka led 4-1 in the second set and threatened to settle Schneider early on. But Schneider fought back and won the next two games. After a hard-fought eighth game, Sabalenka improved to 5 wins and 3 losses, one game away from victory. At that point, Schneider had won four in a row and took the second set 7-5, putting Sabalenka in danger of an upset.
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It was the first time Sabalenka dropped a set throughout the event.
There was no stopping Schneider from there. The Russian took a 5-0 lead in the final set thanks to Sabalenka’s strong play and a rare mistake.
Riding the momentum, Schneider easily shut out Sabalenka in the final game, taking the final set 6-0 and winning the match.
For Schneider, the win extended his best result in a Grand Slam. Before the 2026 French Open, Schneider’s furthest Grand Slam advance was when he reached the fourth round at the 2024 US Open. With Wednesday’s win, Schneider advanced to the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
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The competition should get easier from here, but Schneider will be in for another surprise in the semi-final round. Maja Chwalinska pulled off an upset over No. 22 seed Anna Kalinskaja early Wednesday morning. The two have only faced off once in their careers, with Schneider winning that match.
It was another disappointing loss for Sabalenka at Roland Garros. Although she has recorded deep runs in each of the past four years, she has never won the French Open.
Going into Wednesday, it looked as if this was Sabalenka’s best chance to win the event. The women’s side of the bracket was devastated by an early upset, leaving Sabalenka with No. 8 Mila Andreeva as the highest seed left.
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After Schneider’s upset on Wednesday, that matchup will not happen. Andreeva will be seen as the favorite going forward, but on the women’s side it seems like anyone could win.
