By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) – Aryna Sabalenka was dumped out of the French Open on a windy Wednesday at Roland Garros as Diana Shnaider staged an inspired comeback to beat the world number one 3-6 7-5 6-0 and further blow open the draw heading into the semi-finals.
In a tournament that has already witnessed several shocks, including premature exits for defending champion Coco Gauff and four-times winner Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka’s collapse was another unexpected jolt through the field.
With world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-times major winner Novak Djokovic also early casualties, it means that for the first time since the 1977 edition of Roland Garros there will be no Grand Slam champion featuring in the semi-finals of a major.
“No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis now,” a downbeat Sabalenka told reporters after her defeat. “We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.
“I don’t know when was the last time that happened to me that I lost 10 games in a row. I guess mentally I got into very deep, dark hole over there, and I just couldn’t get back on track mentally.”
While Sabalenka was left to rue her missed chances after going a set and a break up and being two points from winning the match, Shnaider said she had taken lessons from the Belarusian’s struggles in last year’s wind-hit final.
‘SUPER WINDY’
Sabalenka produced a litany of unforced errors in similarly tricky conditions 12 months ago to lose the title clash.
“Of course I knew in the final last year … it was super windy,” Shnaider said.
“I had that thought in the back of my mind that she was struggling with Coco last year. I was like, ‘yeah, I’ve got to use this opportunity, I need to just adjust’.
“I was starting to step in more on her second serve, putting pressure. She got a couple of unforced errors here and there and the momentum was shifting a bit towards my side.
“I believed more in myself.”
Shnaider will continue to believe she can progress to her maiden Grand Slam final when she takes on Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska, who continued her Paris dream run with a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory over Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
SWIATEK SHADOW
Chwalinska will have the chance to step out of compatriot Swiatek’s shadow and earn a much bigger windfall having already collected $870,000 for her semi-final run – more than she has earned during her entire career.
“I feel like for some reason, I don’t process it. Like, I’m just focusing on every single match. I honestly don’t feel like it’s like a huge moment for me,” Chwalinska said of her win.
“But after the tournament finishes, I’ll have time to be grateful for what happened and process it as well. But for now, I’m happy, but I know that I need to focus on the job.”
As Chwalinska focused on staying in the moment, Flavio Cobolli showed similar composure to navigate tricky conditions and surge into his maiden Grand Slam semi-final with a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Cobolli, among the Italian men looking to shine in Sinner’s absence, lost the opening set and came back from 1-3 down in the next when the playing conditions suddenly improved with the roof closed in anticipation of rain.
He blew away his Canadian opponent in style before talking about the superstitious beliefs that have helped him in his run this year in Paris, including the use of 14-times champion Rafa Nadal’s preferred locker room shower stall.
“I’m a little bit (superstitious), but not crazy,” the 10th seed said. “But this week, I’m a little bit more crazy than the others. I go same restaurant, same menu, same shower.
“Actually, I think I said in the first press conference that I used the same shower as Rafa, because I had memories with that shower. He told me it has been his shower since 14 years.
“So the best thing I’m doing (this year) … the shower.”
He faces fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who advanced when Matteo Berrettini retired with a hip injury while trailing 7-5 5-2.
“Definitely not the match I was expecting and that we wanted to see. But I’m definitely happy about my performance, about how the tournament is going,” said Arnaldi.
“It’s crazy to think I’m in the semi-finals. I’m happy for that, and I feel sorry for Matteo. We practise a lot together in Monte Carlo. It’s tough to see him like that, but he played an amazing tournament.
“He came back to a great level, and now it’s going to be the grass season for him where he plays his best tennis. I’m sure he’ll come back stronger.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; Editing by Pritha Sarkar and Toby Davis)
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