'Huge moment for my career': Shnaider relishes in upset of No. 1 Sabalenka
PARIS -- World No. 25 Diana Shnaider is still taking in all the emotions from her upset win over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Roland Garros semifinals.
Shnaider -- down two breaks at 4-1 and down one at 5-3 in the second set -- was on the verge of elimination. The 22-year-old had already achieved much in Paris, advancing to the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam for the first time. Yet, after winning 10 straight games and sweeping the entire third set, Shnaider is one of the last four remaining.
"Overall, I feel I'm still in the process of the emotions and everything," Shnaider said to press after her 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 win. "It was a tough match, and I'm just super happy and super proud of myself the way I handled the emotions and the conditions today and just the fight that I put in and the work."
It's just the fourth time since the PIF WTA Rankings began in 1975 that a World No. 1 lost a third set 6-0, and Shnaider will next face fellow left-handed player and qualifier Maja Chwalinska, who's on a run of her own. Thursday's semifinal will be just the third time in the Open Era that two left-handed players compete in the Grand Slam singles semifinal, joining Monica Seles-Martina Navratilova (Wimbledon 1992) and Petra Kvitova-Lucie Safarova (Wimbledon 2014).
After her stunning win in Paris, wtatennis.com spoke to Shnaider on a walk through Philippe Chatrier en route to one of her studio interviews. Here's more from that conversation:
It's pretty rare for Sabalenka to lose 10 straight games and a third set 6-0. Do you think that was the most memorable match of your career?
Shnaider: For sure, it's going to be very special just because obviously for the first time in semis [at a Grand Slam], defeating World No. 1 is definitely a huge moment for my career.
I'm more proud overall [of] the way I just hold my focus and hold my composure, my emotions, and then I just fight to the end. I could manage to change my game, and mid-match and show good game for the people.
I'm sure you maybe exceeded them, but what were your expectations for this tournament coming in?
Shnaider: There were literally no expectations because I feel like that's the best I can do to help myself. For sure, I wanted to be in a second week. I definitely exceeded my expectations, so super happy. I feel I was playing better and better in each match.
At 22 years old, you're still young. At what point in your career did you think you would reach a Grand Slam semifinal?
Shnaider: I feel I'm still super young, and still feel super crazy that I'm here in the semis, especially after beating an Aryna. But [it's] a huge moment overall for my career, you know. I feel like for sure it should put some points to my confidence and self belief that I'm capable of doing it.
Tomorrow will be unique as your match against Chwalinska will be the third Grand Slam semifinal to be contested between two left-handed players, and this will be your first left-handed opponent here in Paris. How do you think that will impact the match being prone to playing right-handed players?
Shnaider: For sure, it's going to be different and very different game-style compared to Aryna -- lots of variety, high-balls, low-balls, so.
It's special to lefties, I feel like that's huge. It's not many of us, so definitely great. It's going to be a tough match and I'm expecting a very tough battle. Both of us, it's our first time in semis, so I'm definitely going to leave it all out and it's gonna be a great match.
I imagine no major celebration plans tonight ahead of your match tomorrow, but how will you enjoy this one ahead of the semifinal?
Shnaider: We don't have any celebration plans. We'll keep it casual as we always do [laughing]. I'm just going to do recovery for my body to be ready for tomorrow. Dinner [and] we go to hotel to go early to bed to let my body recover. We'll go tomorrow to talk and get ready.