Aryna Sabalenka suffered a brutal defeat to Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, in very windy conditions on Philippe-Chatrier.
Sabalenka was in full control despite the wind, taking a 6-3, 4-1 lead against, before she completely capitulated and lost 10 games in a row.
The World No. 1 was bagelled in the deciding set to bring an end to her Roland Garros dreams and continue her winless run at the clay court major.
Sabalenka struggled in the wind and she was left confused by Roland Garros’ decision to leave the roof open on Philippe-Chatrier.
The Belarusian star was far from happy with Roland Garros organisers and she used much of her post-match press conference to question their actions.
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“That’s another question – I don’t know why they would keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” she said. “But how can I complain if for almost the whole match everything was working okay for me, and then it just slipped away?
“I feel like it was getting crazy maybe just because mentally I wasn’t really okay. I remember even from last year they kept the roof open for us, and then the next day, in similar conditions, they closed it for the men – to make better conditions and better quality of tennis, I believe.
“I don’t know why they would keep it open. Even though I was winning, it was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually sit there and watch. And then at some point she stepped in and played unbelievable.”
However, the World No. 1 never posed the question to Roland Garros organisers. Asked if she made the request for the roof to be closed, Sabalenka said: “No. I feel like there was no need.”
Sabalenka has every reason to be unhappy with Roland Garros organisers, particularly as the Philippe-Chatrier roof was closed a set into Felix Auger-Aliassime and Flavio Cobolli’s quarter-final.
Auger-Aliassime and Cobolli played out a messy first set, which was more than effected by the wind, before Auger-Aliassime won 6-4.
After the first set, organisers made the decision to close the roof following suggestions from John McEnroe, so it does beg the question why it didn’t happen for Sabalenka vs Shnaider.
The two women were just as effected by the wind as Auger-Aliassime and Cobolli, playing out a messy match of tennis that would have entertained the crowd far more if the roof was closed. Instead, it took a spellbinding Shnaider comeback to make the headlines, but Sabalenka has every right to feel aggrieved from Roland Garros.
The post Aryna Sabalenka unhappy with key Roland Garros decision during shock exit appeared first on Tennis365.
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