Paris – Aryna Sabalenka said she fell into a “deep, dark hole” during her three-set loss to Russian Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarterfinals on Wednesday, after the world No. 1 let her opportunities slip in the second set.
The Belarusian handled the blustery conditions to win the opening set, forged a commanding lead in the second and was two points away from victory when the contest began to turn, and Shnaider won the last 10 games to prevail 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Sabalenka said she had no thoughts, felt no emotions and wanted to “quit tennis right now” in the aftermath of the defeat, as the four-time Grand Slam champion hoped to get back on track mentally in the next few weeks.