The 5 women to reach first Grand Slam semi-final on major debut: Boisson joins Evert, Seles

Lois Boisson is a French Open semi-finalist.

That is not something that anyone would have predicted heading into the tournament, but the world No 361 finds herself in the last four of her home Grand Slam.

Boisson had never competed at a major tournament before this fortnight, making her run even more extraordinary.

And, she is now just the fifth woman in the Open Era to make the last four of her debut Grand Slam.

Chris Evert – 1971 US Open

The first woman to achieve this feat in the Open Era was tennis legend Evert, who was just 16 when she played her first Grand Slam at the US Open in 1971.

Teen ace Evert stunned fifth seed Francoise Durr in the third round and then beat Lesley Hunt to reach the last four, where she fell to eventual champion Billie Jean King.

Evert would play 56 Grand Slam tournaments and only failed to reach the semi-final four times, winning a staggering 18 major titles.

Elisabeth Ekblom – 1976 Australian Open

The most surprising name on this list is Sweden’s Ekblom, who was just 17 years old when she reached the semi-final of the 1976 Australian Open.

Ekblom beat second seed Chris O’Neil in the opening round and would win two more matches on her way to the semi-final, where she was beaten by eventual runner-up Renata Tomanova.

She never again made it past the second round of a major, and won just one WTA doubles title in her career.

Monica Seles – 1989 French Open

Aged just 15, Seles sent out a statement of intent by reaching the last four of the French Open in her maiden Slam appearance back in 1989.

Unseeded, the teen star beat fourth seed Zina Garrison in the third round and then sixth seed Manuela Maleeva in the quarter-final, only beaten by future rival Steffi Graf in the semi-final.

Seles would go on to win nine Grand Slam titles across her career, including a run to becoming the youngest French Open champion in history in 1990.

Jennifer Capriati – 1990 French Open

Twelve months after Seles’ breakout display, a 14-year-old Capriati became the youngest player to ever reach the top 10 following her run to the French Open last four on her major debut.

Capriati knocked out 12th seed Judith Wiesner in round three and then seventh seed Mary Joe Fernandez in the last eight, before falling to eventual champion Seles.

The American would go on to reach world No 1 and win three major titles, including the French Open in 2001.

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Lois Boisson – 2025 French Open

Boisson now finds herself as part of an extraordinary club following an epic run to the Roland Garros semi-finals, just 12 months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The Frenchwoman knocked out 24th seed Elise Mertens in round one, and then beat third seed Jessica Pegula in the fourth round before a stunning quarter-final run over sixth seed Mirra Andreeva.

Boisson now faces second seed Coco Gauff in the last four, looking to become the first woman in the Open Era to reach the final of her maiden Grand Slam appearance.

Read NextThe 6 US women to win the French Open title: Gauff looks to join Serena & Evert

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