Clay is not Sabalenka’s strongest surface even though she has won three times in Madrid, where the high altitude makes the conditions similar to a hard court.
Nor did she have a good build-up to Roland Garros. Six match points were squandered in a quarter-final defeat by Hailey Baptiste in Madrid in April, before she let a set and a break lead slip against Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea in Rome.
But, given her quality and pedigree compared to the other Paris quarter-finalists, it is hard not to think another golden opportunity has slipped through Sabalenka’s fingers.
Sabalenka’s four Grand Slam singles titles – two Australian Open and two US Open triumphs, all on hard courts – are more than most people can dream of.
But she has also lost four finals and six major semi-finals, despite a consistency on the biggest stages that is unrivalled among her peers.
Sabalenka has the proud record of not losing before the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since the start of the 2023 season.
However, she has not always dealt well with the pressure of the latter stages – particularly during the period where she has clearly been the best player in the world.
Sabalenka was the heavy favourite to beat underdog Madison Keys in the 2024 Australian Open final, but came unstuck. Twelve months later, she reached another Melbourne final – and a flurry of mistakes saw her squander a break lead in the deciding set against Elena Rybakina.
At last year’s French Open Sabalenka played what she described as the “worst final” of her life, hitting 70 unforced errors in windy conditions as she lost from a set up.
Against Shnaider, Sabalenka looked in control at 6-3 4-1 up before losing 12 of the final 13 games.
“I just think that there is something in specific moments during the match [where] I lose control,” said Sabalenka, whose 57 unforced errors outweighed her 46 winners.
