PARIS — Two quarterfinals remain at Roland Garros, and on Wednesday the top half of the draw will take their turn on Court Philippe-Chatrier with a semifinal berth on the line.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the lone Wednesday quarterfinalist that’s reached a Grand Slam semifinal, will battle No. 25 seeded Diana Shnaider while No. 22 seed Anna Kalinskaya seeks to stop the Cinderella run of qualifier World No. 114 Maja Chwalinska, who’s in her third-ever Grand Slam main draw.
Here’s everything to know about Wednesday’s quarterfinals:
Order of play: June 3
Philippe Chatrier
11 a.m. local: [22] Anna Kalinskaya vs. [Q] Maja Chwalinska
Followed by: [1] Aryna Sabalenka vs. [25] Diana Shnaider
Followed by: men’s singles
Not before 8:15 p.m. local: men’s singles
Kalinskaya vs. Chwalinska preview
Head-to-Head: First meeting
The tennis world has come to know Chwalinska over the course of her run, and unexpectedly, she’s the last Polish player standing in the draw. The lefty has upset Zheng Qinwen, Elise Mertens and Maria Sakkari, and ousted Frenchwoman Diane Parry on Philippe Chatrier in the Round of 16. Chwalinska told press Monday that her goal for the season was to crack the top 100, and she’s projected to easily surpass that come next Monday.
Chwalinska knows she’s the underdog in every match, and that mentality has allowed her to play the game she wants. This scene is new for her, and she’s embracing it without setting expectations for herself. Through her four matches, she’s won three in straight sets including blanking Zheng and Mertens in a set each.
“For me, whoever I’m playing, I’m lower in the rankings, so it doesn’t matter for me if it’s open or not,” Chwalinska said on the draw. “You’re saying it’s open, but for me, everyone here is higher in the ranking than me. So they are the favorites to win.
“I’m like an underdog. No one really knows me [smiling].”
Kalinskaya has sneakily made her way into the quarterfinals for just the second time at a Grand Slam following her run at the 2024 Australian Open. If you told her before the tournament that she’d be in the final eight, Kalinskaya said she wouldn’t believe you.
She comes off a very physical, rollercoaster match against Anastasia Potapova, who had two chances to serve out the match and eliminate Kalinskaya. Ultimately, despite being down 3-0 in the super tiebreak, Kalinskaya emerged victorious in what she said was the craziest match she’s played at Slam. The match, however, did not beat the nine match points she saved in Rome last month for the craziest of her career.
This season, Kalinskaya’s reached two quarterfinals prior in Doha and Charleston, but has yet to get through to the semifinals, a round she last advanced to in Washington D.C. last season.
“Thinking two weeks ago that I will be here, I wouldn’t believe,” Kalinskaya said to press Monday. “I would probably laugh with my team.
“Here I am, so I will try to enjoy and just do my best, and let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Sabalenka vs. Shnaider preview
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Sabalenka stands as the last top five seed remaining, and despite all the upsets and back-and-forth matches in the draw, what’s happening elsewhere doesn’t affect her at all. She’s focusing on herself, and the four-time Grand Slam champion has shown her best form in Paris. In the Round of 16, she beat Naomi Osaka for the third straight time this season, fueled by her 12 aces and 39 winners in the straight sets match.
Despite her four Grand Slams, she’s yet to win one on a surface other than hard court, and the 2025 finalist at Roland Garros is in prime position once again to achieve the feat. She’s also the first player since Serena Williams to advance to 14 straight Grand Slam quarterfinals. Standing next in her way is left-handed Diana Shnaider, who is into her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“I just remember when I won my first Grand Slam, all I was telling myself that if I will be able to bring my fight, trying to do my best with what I have at the moment, I’ll have my opportunities,” Sabalenka said to press Monday. “That’s basically was my mindset when I won the first Grand Slam.
“At this stages every time I’m just trying to focus on myself and making sure when I’m there competing, I’m fighting and doing everything I can with what I have at the moment, because sometimes you have great days, sometimes you feel like nothing is working and you have to fight.”
As for Shnaider, she’s another surprise that’s reached the final eight, and she’s relied upon her aggressive game with top spin while mixing in some higher, deep balls that worked very effectively against Madison Keys in the Round of 16.
Shnaider knows that reaching the quarterfinals at a Slam is a big accomplishment for herself, and she’s up for the task that Sabalenka brings in what would be the biggest win of her career. She credited the evolution of her mental game, particularly after losing a second set like she did versus Keys.
“Just trusting more of myself, my game [and] not being too negative on myself,” Shnaider said. “I feel like before if I would lose a second set, I would be doubting myself a lot in the third.
“Definitely thinking, like, more staying in the moment and thinking about solution, what I have to do, and not going too much into thoughts of doubting myself and being too negative like I have done something wrong when my opponent is playing better.”
