Shnaider Rallies from the Brink to Oust World No. 1 Sabalenka at Roland-Garros

For a set and a half, Sabalenka looked every bit the top seed. She took the opening set 6-3, converting her first four break-point opportunities, and stormed to a 4-1 lead in the second . With the finish line in sight, her game suddenly disintegrated. Facing a player making her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut, Sabalenka was broken when serving for the match at 5-4, and Shnaider—a 22-year-old lefty from Russia—seized the opening with aggressive returns and sharp angles .

Shnaider broke again to claim the second set 7-5, and from there the match turned into a one-way procession. Sabalenka won only a single game across the final two sets, ultimately dropping the last 10 games of the match while piling up 57 unforced errors, most of them in the disastrous second half . The bagel in the deciding set punctuated one of the most dramatic collapses of Sabalenka’s career; she stood still and screamed in frustration after falling behind 0-30 in the sixth game of the final set, and moments later sent a shot into the net on match point .

“Shnaider played intelligently in the biggest match of her career, repeatedly asking questions of Sabalenka, and the Belarusian simply did not have the answers,” noted match reports, with blustery conditions on Chatrier amplifying the world No. 1’s uncharacteristic errors . After the handshake, a visibly furious Sabalenka stormed off court .

A Wide-Open Draw: No Former Champions Remain

Sabalenka’s exit was the final shoe to drop in a tournament defined by upsets. Defending champion Coco Gauff had already lost in the third round to Anastasia Potapova, and world No. 2 Iga Świątek did not enter the event . On the men’s side, top-seeded Jannik Sinner was ousted in the second round . Sabalenka entered the quarterfinals as the last remaining Grand Slam champion in either singles draw; her defeat means all four women’s semifinalists are chasing their first major title .

The chaos has produced a semifinal lineup that blends breakthrough runs, historic milestones, and geopolitical tension.

Meet the Four Semifinalists

Diana Shnaider (No. 25, Russia)

The 22-year-old’s run to her first Grand Slam semifinal has been built on late-match dominance. Before stunning Sabalenka, Shnaider defeated former US Open finalist Madison Keys in the fourth round, closing that match with a 6-0 third set . She will face qualifier Maja Chwalinska for a spot in the final.

Maja Chwalinska (Qualifier, Poland)

The Cinderella story of the tournament. Ranked No. 114 in the world, Chwalinska entered Roland-Garros with just one career Grand Slam main-draw win. She has since won six matches—three in qualifying and three in the main draw—to become only the second qualifier in French Open history to reach the women’s semifinals, after Nadia Podoroska in 2020 . Her quarterfinal victory over No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya, 7-6(3), 6-3, made her the first Polish woman not named Iga Świątek to reach a major semifinal since Agnieszka Radwańska .

Mirra Andreeva (No. 8, Russia)

The 19-year-old prodigy needed just 56 minutes to demolish Sorana Cîrstea 6-0, 6-3 in her quarterfinal, reaching her second career Grand Slam semifinal . Along with Shnaider, Andreeva’s presence marks the first time two Russian women have reached the French Open semifinals in 17 years . She faces a stern test in Marta Kostyuk.

Marta Kostyuk (No. 15, Ukraine)

Kostyuk became the first Ukrainian woman to reach the Roland-Garros semifinals in the Open Era after defeating compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in an emotional all-Ukrainian quarterfinal . The 23-year-old has been the best player on clay this season, winning the Madrid Open and extending her win streak to 17 matches . She holds a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over her semifinal opponent, Mirra Andreeva, including a victory in last month’s Madrid final .

Semifinal Stakes and Storylines

Both semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, June 4 .

Diana Shnaider vs. Maja Chwalinska pits the giant-killer against the qualifier on a dream run. Shnaider will carry the confidence of having just dismantled the world No. 1, while Chwalinska is playing with house money after surpassing all expectations.

Marta Kostyuk vs. Mirra Andreeva is the marquee matchup—and the most politically charged. With Russia’s war in Ukraine as the backdrop, Kostyuk, a vocal supporter of Ukraine, faces Russian teenager Andreeva in a rematch of the Madrid Open final . The winner will not only advance to her first Grand Slam final but will carry significant symbolic weight in a sport where such matchups are fraught with tension .

Saturday’s final is guaranteed to crown a first-time major champion on the terre battue of Paris. At a tournament that already lost its defending champion, its top men’s seed, and its world No. 1, that feels like the only fitting conclusion .