Playing in windy conditions against an opponent who seems to cover every ball on the court on Court Philippe Chatrier. No one would fault Aryna Sabalenka for feeling a moment of deja vu as the top-seeded Belarusian fell to a shock loss at the hands of Diana Shnaider at this year’s Paris Major. It seemed all smooth sailing when the score was 6-3, 5-3 in favor of the top seed, but soon everything went haywire. News of the loss has spread like wildfire on social media, with fans actively speculating on the reasons behind the top-ranked player’s disastrous meltdown.

Sabalenka started strong in the match, taking a 5-1 lead in the first set. That is when the wind picked up a bit, allowing Shnaider to get back in the set, but the Belarusian was strong enough in the finish to clinch it. A similar start followed in the second set as well, with Sabalenka breaking the Russian’s serve twice, taking a 4-1 lead. Shnaider got one of the breaks back, but Sabalenka held on for a 5-3 lead in the second.

Most people watching would have thought that the conclusion was a foregone one at that point, but the wind picked up once again, making Sabalenka lose all range on her baseline shots. This reflected the conditions from her French Open final against Coco Gauff last year, where the Belarusian’s serve struggled immensely due to the windy conditions.

At the same time, Shnaider used the strategy to make Sabalenka play one more ball by moving around the court like a hare, and using her lefty forehand to great effect, she completely knocked the Belarusian off her balance. Winning four games in a row, Shnaider won the second set 7-5.

What followed was even more extraordinary, as Sabalenka just could not get her teeth into the third set. Her first service game was a battle with multiple deuces, but once Shnaider broke, it was a freefall for Sabalenka. She lost her composure as the match went on, shouting at her box, screaming to herself, but she could not manage a comeback as unforced errors kept flowing from her racket. She lost the third set 6-0, her first bagel set since she suffered one against Madison Keys at the 2023 US Open.

Following her loss, fans flooded social media with their opinions, trying to ascertain the reason for the Belarusian’s shock defeat from such a dominant position.

Fans Give Their Opinion on the Shock Aryna Sabalenka Loss

Fans were also left scratching their heads after Sabalenka’s loss. However, her fans remained confident of her victory, as one tweeted about Shnaider’s lack of closing-out skills despite her comeback in the first set. “Sabalenka was playing at an absurd level, breadstick was incoming but then the wind picked up & messed up her game, all of a sudden Shnaider had a chance to get back on serve. If Di was smarter she would just try to be solid and avoid easy errors but she wasn’t clutch enough”, said the fan.

Another fan also questions Shnaider’s choice of a shot at a crucial point in the second set, saying, “given the way Sabalenka is still affected by the wind, Shnaider’s decision to go back behind her with the entire court open for 5-4* may haunt her”.

However, once the loss seemed imminent, fans expressed their dismay over the playing conditions, calling them unsuitable for someone like Sabalenka to play on. “This wind is atrocious. They should close the roof cause it’d be absolutely inhumane to play in these conditions. Sabalenka deserves better than to play in these shitty conditions,” said one fan.

Some fans pointed out that both the men’s and women’s World No. 1s in tennis struggled with the elements. While Italian has struggled in the heat, which has seen him knocked out of the competition, Sabalenka’s issues with the win are now more pronounced, given the final against Gauff. “Jannik Sinner’s greatest enemy: HEAT Aryna Sabalenka’s greatest enemy: WIND/COLD”, chimed in one fan.

Lastly, one fan gave a brutal assessment, calling out that Sabalenka’s credentials as World No.1 were shaky due to her vulnerabilities in windy conditions. “We cannot consider Sabalenka the best player of her era if she needs perfect conditions to win Grand Slams. A little wind at Roland Garros should not have her this out of sorts. The window to pull herself together is closing quickly,” opined one fan.

Sabalenka’s loss will guarantee a new Grand Slam winner in the women’s draw at the 2026 French Open. The loss also marks the end of a streak for the Belarusian, who had reached at least the semifinals of every Grand Slam she has played since the 2024 US Open.