Over the last couple of years, Aryna Sabalenka has established herself as the best player in women’s tennis. But despite her consistent success, a French Open singles title still eludes the world No. 1. She could’ve rectified this at the 2026 edition, especially with other top stars like Iga Świątek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff all failing to even reach the quarterfinals this year.
Instead, Sabalenka squandered a golden chance in devastating fashion.
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Up 6-5, 6-3 through two sets over Russia’s Diana Shnaider on Wednesday, it seemed so certain Sabalenka would cruise to the semifinals. And from there, with all of her top peers eliminated, her first French Open title would only be two victories away. About that. In an absolutely stunning turn of events, Sabalenka didn’t win another game and got ousted by the tournament’s No. 25 seed. Woof.
Understandably, Sabalenka was at a loss for words in her post-match press conference. When asked to process her emotions after such a tough defeat, Sabalenka could barely hold it together through tears while asserting, in the heat of the moment, obviously, that she just wanted to “quit tennis” right now.
Sigh. Seeing elite athletes like this is truly the worst part of closely following sports:
