By Tanmay Sharma
Photo Credit: The Suncity News
New Delhi, June 3, 2026: In one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 French Open, 25th seed Diana Shnaider produced a remarkable comeback to defeat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 in the women’s quarterfinals on Wednesday, securing her maiden Grand Slam semifinal appearance.
Playing in difficult, windy conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the 22-year-old Russian found herself trailing by a set and a double break in the second set before mounting an extraordinary turnaround.
Sabalenka led 6-3, 5-1 and appeared firmly in control, but Shnaider stormed back, winning the final 10 games of the match to complete one of the tournament’s most stunning victories.
Diana Shanider left speechless after career-best win:
Following the victory, Diana Shnaider admitted she was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the result.
“Honestly, I’m speechless. I’m super happy. Obviously, it was tough conditions with the wind,” She said.
Diana Shnaider acknowledged feeling nervous early in the contest but gradually settled into the match before taking complete control in the deciding set.
The victory marked only the second time in her career that she had defeated a top-10 player.
Sabalenka entered the quarterfinals as the only Grand Slam champion remaining in either the men’s or women’s singles draw and was widely regarded as the favourite for the title.
However, the Belarusian struggled badly after establishing her commanding lead, finishing the match with a staggering 57 unforced errors.
The defeat ended her streak of six consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances and denied her another opportunity to capture her first Roland-Garros title.
After the match, Sabalenka expressed frustration with both the windy conditions and her own performance.
Semifinal awaits:
Diana Shnaider will next face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the semifinals.
Chwalinska, ranked outside the world’s top 100, has been one of the surprise packages of the tournament and is also appearing in her first Grand Slam semifinal.
The winner of that match will advance to Sunday’s final, where either Marta Kostyuk or Mirra Andreeva will be waiting.
With Sabalenka’s exit following the earlier eliminations of several leading contenders, the women’s draw has become completely open.
Diana Shnaider, who had never previously advanced beyond a Grand Slam quarterfinal, now finds herself just one win away from reaching her first major final.
Her victory over the world No. 1 will be remembered as one of the defining moments of Roland-Garros 2026 and further underscores the unpredictable nature of this year’s tournament.
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EOM.
