French Open: Aryna Sabalenka knocked out of Roland Garros quarter-finals by Diana Shnaider in huge shock from commanding position

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is out of the French Open after suffering a shock defeat to Diana Shnaider from a position of a set and two breaks up.

With defending champion Coco Gauff, four-time champion Iga Swiatek and 2026 Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina all already knocked out, Sabalenka was huge favourite for a maiden Roland Garros title, only to suffer an improbable exit herself.

Indeed, the 28-year-old was 6-3 4-1 ahead on Court Philippe-Chatrier - with a service game to follow - and then 6-4 5-4 ahead where she was serving for the match, but a determined Shnaider managed to break Sabalenka three times to clinch the second set, before powering on to win the third 6-0 in an almighty upset.

For Sabalenka, her struggles were reminiscent of last year's final against Gauff, remonstrating loudly, shouting to herself and glaring at her team box before ultimately collapsing in the contest.

Facing Shnaider in the last eight on Wednesday, Sabalenka displayed her power from the baseline to race out to a 5-1 lead in the first set.

Shnaider caused a shock by breaking the top seed as she served for the set, though, and at 5-3 the 22-year-old forced another break point too as Sabalenka got another chance to close it out on serve.

In the end, the latter held her nerve to bank the opener.

Into the second set, Sabalenka broke Shnaider early to get her nose in front, and appeared to show no signs of surrendering the advantage on this occasion, breaking her a second time to move 4-1 ahead.

Yet, Shnaider again displayed her determination and talent to earn a break back on the Sabalenka serve, hold her own serve and then force three break point chances to improbably level the contest.

Sabalenka saved all three before conceding a fourth break point, only to save that as well before closing out a big hold to lead 5-3.

Serving for the match at 5-4, errors crept back into Sabalenka's game as Shnaider again forced break point. This time, the latter took it to fight back to 5-5.

Shnaider held serve and then forced yet more Sabalenka errors to claim an incredible 7-5 set victory from 4-1 and 5-3 behind.

Into the third set, Sabalenka came under huge pressure and had to save three early break points as Shnaider continued in the ascendency. In the end, the latter's energy proved too much as she claimed the break at the fourth attempt to edge 2-0 in front.

Shnaider raced through another service game for 3-0, and then broke an overwhelmingly frustrated Sabalenka again for an unassailable 4-0 advantage. While challenged back on serve, Shnaider dug in to hold and move into a fanciful 5-0 lead.

The victory was complete when Sabalenka suffered another break of serve, with Shnaider closing out a stunning bagel success to move into a Grand Slam final four.

Shnaider will next face Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals, with the Polish player having come through qualifying to make this stage in a stunning run and ranked 114 in the world.

Speaking post-match, Shnaider said:

"I'm super happy. Obviously today a little tough conditions with the wind. First time playing Aryna [Sabalenka]. Super nervous and then quarter-finals for the first time.

"So definitely a lot of nerves and I feel like the first set, I was just kind of trying to adjust to her game and then to the conditions, to the wind, trying to figure out how to play. I feel like I was just trying to focus point-by-point, not thinking about the score.

"I was like: 'It's ok, it's tough conditions.' She's the world No 1, so I will just try to do my best to the end and I'll see how it goes and I just fight for every point. Try to run for every ball and make it extra into the court.

"Definitely a super special win. I feel like in the third set I finally found my rhythm and how to play. Where to be a little more defensive. Where to attack. So I feel like the third set was the one that I should be aiming for from the beginning.

"But definitely super happy that I managed to finish on a good note and not to start on a good note. So definitely a super special tournament for me here."

Polish qualifier Chwalinska continued her dream run at ‌the French Open, reaching the semi-finals with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Russia's Anna ‌Kalinskaya on a windswept Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 24-year-old absorbed the power of ​the 22nd seed superbly, repeatedly forcing Kalinskaya into errors by extending rallies and making her hit one extra ​shot as she became only the second ‌qualifier in the Open era to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals - and the sixth ​to achieve the feat at a Grand Slam.

After an early exchange of breaks, ⁠Chwalinska broke her opponent's serve ⁠again and saved two break points to move 4-1 ahead before nerves crept in, allowing Kalinskaya ‌to force a tiebreak.

But Chwalinska, who had won only two Tour-level matches on clay before this tournament, rediscovered her composure at the ‌perfect moment. After a tense nine-shot rally on set point, Kalinskaya sent a backhand long to hand the Pole the opening set.

Chwalinska maintained her momentum in the second set and, aided by a stream ⁠of unforced errors from Kalinskaya, raced into a ​4-1 lead.

Kalinskaya snatched a break back for 5-3 ​but Chwalinska sealed victory in the next game on another ​unforced error by the Russian.

"Every single match here is kind ⁠of crazy for me, I'm very grateful," said Chwalinska, who has only dropped one set on her way to the last four.

"Inside ⁠I'm nervous and stressed. I try to ​focus on my game and I'm happy I managed that. ​Honestly I just try to win every match, I'm not focusing on confidence, I'm not comparing ‌myself (with the top players)."

Matteo Berrettini's French Open hopes were cruelly ended by injury as Matteo Arnaldi set up an all-Italian semi-final against Flavio Cobolli, who earlier beat fourth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Berrettini was the only player left in the top half to have previously reached a Grand Slam final, having lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon showpiece in 2021.

He had rolled back the years in Paris on an emotional run after years of physical troubles but there was to be no fairytale ending as a left leg issue prompted him to pull the plug when 7-5 5-2 down to his compatriot.

Arnaldi, ranked 104th in the world, will face 10th seed ⁠Cobolli on Friday, guaranteeing an Italian ⁠presence in Sunday's final despite the shock early exit of world no 1 Jannik Sinner in the second round in Paris.

Cobolli earlier came back from a set down to beat Auger-Aliassime to reach the final four at Roland-Garros for ‌the first time.

Following an early exchange of breaks in the first set, Auger-Aliassime pounced on Cobolli's ​serve in the 10th game to claim the opener, after which the roof on Philippe-Chatrier was closed.

Cobolli then battled back from 3-1 down in the second set with the playing conditions suddenly improving.

"We played ​two different matches today," Cobolli said in an on-court interview. "In the first set it was very windy and tough to play.

"Tennis is like this, it changes every day, this week changed a lot and we have to be prepared, accept ‌everything. I did it today and that's why I won this match."

Having levelled the contest at one set apiece, Cobolli dialled up the intensity in the third to move just one set away from a maiden Grand Slam ⁠semi-final appearance.

The 24-year-old thumped his chest when he edged ahead in ​the fourth set, going on to comfortably clinch ​victory.

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