Aryna Sabalenka admits to wanting to 'quit tennis' after French Open meltdown

The world No 1 appeared destined for a place in the last four at Roland Garros after taking the opening set and building a commanding 4-1 lead in the second. Instead, Sabalenka unravelled dramatically as Shnaider mounted a remarkable comeback to claim a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Sabalenka's game deserted her in difficult, windy conditions, with the Belarusian committing 57 unforced errors and losing the final 10 games of the match as the 25th seed seized control.

An emotional Sabalenka arrived at her post-match press conference visibly deflated and delivered a candid assessment of her state of mind.

"I have no thoughts, no emotions," she said. "I want to quit tennis right now. We'll see in a few days if I'm back on track."

The defeat continues a frustrating pattern for the four-time Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros. Sabalenka also suffered a painful collapse in last year's French Open final against Coco Gauff and remains without a major title on either clay or grass, despite her dominance on hard courts.

The Belarusian acknowledged that her pursuit of a first French Open or Wimbledon crown may be contributing to the emotional pressure she places on herself.

"I don't know. I really feel great on clay, I feel great on grass," Sabalenka explained. "Maybe I'm focusing too much on the fact that I've never won a Slam on them, and maybe that makes me overthink things, makes me over-emotional at some moments.

"This is something I actually have to step back from and try to find a solution, because I'm so tired of losing like this - not in the best way, just because I was over-emotional."

While Sabalenka struggled to process the disappointment, Shnaider was left almost speechless after recording the biggest win of her career.

"Honestly, I am speechless," the Russian said. "She is the world number one, so I was just trying to do my best. I had to fight for every point."

Shnaider's reward is a surprise semi-final against qualifier Maja Chwalinska, with both players continuing fairytale runs in a tournament that has seen several leading contenders fall before the latter stages.

Despite her despair, Sabalenka ended her media duties with a note of defiance, insisting she would eventually emerge stronger from another painful French Open setback.

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, I guess," she said. "At some point I'll figure out the situation and we'll get back tougher.

"By the way, I just figured out how I can overcome it - one of those rooms where you go in and smash everything. Probably I'll spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it'll help, maybe not."

READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka crashes out of French Open after stunning collapse to Diana Shnaider