French Open: Surprise semifinalists, no-handshake match, and player frustrations

The 2026 French Open women's singles tournament has delivered a series of unexpected results, seeing several unseeded or lower-ranked players advance to the semifinals. Among these surprise contenders were qualifier Maja Chwalinska and Diana Shnaider, who notably ousted world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. This edition of the Roland Garros marks the first time since 1977 that no former Grand Slam champions reached the semifinals in both the men's and women's draws, guaranteeing new major titleholders.

In a tense semifinal match on Thursday, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva defeated Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to secure her place in a first Grand Slam final. As anticipated due to Kostyuk's ongoing policy against Russian and Belarusian players following the conflict in Ukraine, there was no traditional handshake between the competitors after the match.

Adding to the tournament's drama, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka experienced a stunning quarterfinal collapse against Diana Shnaider on Wednesday. Despite holding a significant lead of a set and two breaks, Sabalenka lost ten consecutive games, ultimately falling 3-6, 7-5, 6-0. Following this unexpected defeat, an emotionally candid Sabalenka expressed a profound desire to "quit tennis right now," citing a mental "deep, dark hole" she fell into during the match.