Why Aren't Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek Playing in the French Open 2026 Final?
The French Open 2026 women's final is missing some of the sport's top stars. Why isn't Aryna Sabalenka, the world number 1, playing in the French Open final?
Why isn't Iga Swiatek playing in the final at the French Open 2026? Both are missing.
Both players were eliminated earlier in the competition. It's not only the women's side that will have an unusual final. On the men's side, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were eliminated earlier in the competition, and Carlos Alcaraz didn't play due to a wrist injury.
Russian teen Mirra Andreeva and Polish player Maja Chwalinska, who is ranked 114th in the world, are competing in the women's final.
Why Isn't Aryna Sabalenka Competing in the French Open 2026 Final?
Sabalenka went down in a match against Diana Shnaider. Sabalenka became emotional after the shock loss.
"Just want to quit tennis right now," the world No. 1 said after a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss. Shnaider is seeded number 25.
Sabalenka "led by a set and two breaks, and later served for the match at 5-4 before losing the next 10 games in a collapse reminiscent of her 2025 finals defeat to Coco Gauff," according to WTA Tennis.
"This is something that I actually have to kind of, like, step back and kind of, like, try to find a solution," Sabalenka said after the collapse, "because I just am so tired of me losing some matches not in the best way just because I was overemotional."
Sabalenka mentioned the windy conditions. "I don't know why would they keep the roof open when it's, like, it was crazy windy," said Sabalenka.
"But how can I complain if almost for the whole match everything was working okay for me, but then it just slipped away? I feel like it was getting crazy maybe just because mentally I wasn't really okay."
Why Isn't Iga Swiatek Playing in the French Open Final in 2026?
Swiatek also lost in an early round, this one to Marta Kostyuk. Swiatek "struggled with her serve and shot selection against Kostyuk, against whom she had a 3-0 career record," according to The New York Times.
"Kostyuk took the match 7-5, 6-1, to record her 16th consecutive win on clay in 2026," The Times reported. "Kostyuk's career record against Świątek was so lopsided that she'd never taken a set off the six-time Grand Slam champion."
Swiatek had won the French Open four times. Kostyuk later lost to Andreeva in a semi-final match.
Swiatek grew up with Chwalinska in Poland and they are close friends.
"They have also competed together in national colours and the pair were runners-up in the Australian Open 2017 girls' doubles," Roland Garros says.
"We've known each other since we were 10 years old," Chwalinska revealed to Roland Garros. "We definitely have a long history together, she's a great champion and a huge inspiration for all of us in Poland."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 6:51 AM.