Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open hopes were blown away in a stunning quarter-final loss to Diana Shnaider.
The world number one was the steady presence in a tournament full of shocks and looked to be easing through to the last four when she led by a set and 4-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
But the blustery conditions, which frequently made the players pause to wipe clay from their eyes, had already caused Sabalenka problems, and those only increased.
Russian Shnaider, seeded 25th, played intelligently in the biggest match of her career, repeatedly asking questions of Sabalenka, and the Belarusian simply did not have the answers.
Sabalenka lost 11 of the last 12 games, her frustration threatening to boil over completely, and she stormed off court after a 3-6 7-5 6-0 defeat.
It is only the second time in her last 14 grand slams that Sabalenka has failed to reach at least the semi-finals, while she lost a love set for the first time in two-and-a-half years.
Her defeat, meanwhile, means there is no player left in the women’s tournament who has previously reached a grand slam final.
Shnaider put her hands on her head in disbelief at the end of the match, and she said: “Honestly, I’m speechless. I’m super happy.
“Obviously today a little tough conditions with the wind. First time playing Aryna, super nervous, and first time playing in the quarter-finals of a grand slam.”
In a hugely unlikely semi-final, the 22-year-old will play Maja Chwalinska, who is two victories away from matching Emma Raducanu by winning a grand slam title as a qualifier.
The 24-year-old had only won one main draw match at any slam prior to arriving in Paris but extended her winning run to eight matches with a 7-6 (3) 6-3 victory over 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya in the quarter-finals.
Raducanu famously became the first qualifier to lift a slam trophy in New York five years ago, while Chwalinska follows in the footsteps of Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska in 2020 by making the last four at Roland Garros.
“I honestly don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “Every single match is kind of crazy for me. I’m very grateful.
“I just try to win every match that I’m playing. I’m playing against the best players in the world so I won’t compare myself to them.”
Chwalinska, ranked 114, is already guaranteed to double her career prize money with the 750,000 euros (approximately £650,000) for reaching the last four.
She was inspired by Raducanu’s achievement, saying: “It was such an impressive run. Also, she was so young. I think she didn’t drop a set, as well. So it was just incredible.
“And the players in the qualifying, they are so good. They are great competitors. We just need to believe and fight and just believe that maybe some day it will click for us, as well.”
While Raducanu was winning in New York, Chwalinska had stepped away from the tour completely amid a battle with depression.
An indefinite break ended up lasting nearly four months, and she said: “I was struggling a lot.
“I pushed at the beginning. I thought that I just need to stay very strong, tough, and just keep practising. But then I just couldn’t get out of bed any more. I was just lifeless, to be honest.
“I knew that I needed to take a break, because otherwise I’m just not able to live, I think. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to come back or not. I’m happy that I did.”
Chwalinska’s goal at the start of the year was to be top 100 but her run here has guaranteed she will break into the top 30 – although she would need a wild card to avoid having to go through qualifying at Wimbledon.
If the cool, windy conditions continue, the left-hander will hope her unconventional game, which is based around strong defence and court craft, can frustrate Shnaider as well.
“I’m aware that it can be very annoying for other players,” said Chwalinska. “I just try to use it as much as I can.”
