Diana Shnaider upset World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open quarterfinals to secure a spot in the semifinals. Now, the 25th-seeded Russian has attributed the 6-3, 5-7, 6-0 victory to her improved emotional control.

Shnaider beat Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of the French Open, 6-3, 5-7, 6-0. She dominated the third set, with Sabalenka winning no games during the set.

"I saw some moments of her frustration. I know she's an emotional person; I'm too," Shnaider said. "But, this tournament, what I'm doing pretty good is not letting my negative emotions and thoughts to be in way of me playing my best tennis," she added.

Shnaider focused on internal stability while observing Sabalenka's rising frustration.

"When I saw her being emotional," she elaborated. "I was like, 'You're in the right direction; just focus on yourself. Don't focus too much on her or what she's talking to her team.' I was trying to think about myself, what I have to do, and just go point by point."

Sabalenka lost 10 straight games, including a clean sweep in the third set against the 22-year-old Shnaider. This loss marked the second time she was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Shnaider also knew Sabalenka struggled against the Paris wind, losing to Coco Gauff in last year's Final with a similar scenario. Shnaider remained calm throughout the match and followed the plan to upset Sabalenka.

But what is next for the youngster after defeating the World No. 1?

Diana Shnaider To Take On Her Next Challenge In The Semis

Shnaider's next opponent for the semi-finals of the French Open is Poland’s Maja Chwalińska, who beat another Russian player, Anna Kalinskaya, in the quarter-finals.

Shnaider, while talking to the WTA's Cole Bambini about her huge victory, was asked about her next match and how she sees her opponent, as they're both left-handed.

For sure, it's going to be a different and very different game-style compared to Aryna's lots of variety, high-balls, low-balls, so." She said. "It's special to lefties, I feel like that's huge. It's not many of us, so definitely great."

She continued to speak, talking about how difficult the match is going to be.

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."

Ahead of the match, Shnaider is looking to keep it simple and recover her body to be ready for the semis. It's only a few hours before we get to see the two in action in the semis.

Who do you think will reach the Final for the first time out of these two?

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi