Lois Boisson has been the surprise breakout star of the French Open, with the 22-year-old defying her wildcard status to reach the second week of her home Grand Slam.
With Boisson now the last French player standing in either the men’s or women’s singles draw, we take a look at how she has defied the odds to shine brightly on her Grand Slam debut.
Rankings rise disrupted by career-threatening injury
Boisson made her WTA Tour debut as a main-draw doubles wildcard at the 2021 Lyon Open, though she has played largely on the ITF Tour since then.
The Frenchwoman started to rise up the rankings rapidly at the start of 2024, thanks to three ITF titles at the start of the season.
That was backed up by an impressive run to the biggest title of her career to date at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, sealing her top-200 rankings debut with a victory over Chloe Paquet in the final.
Reaching a high of world No 152, Boisson was handed a wildcard into her home Grand Slam in Paris and looked all set to make her major debut, only to then suffer a heartbreaking injury.
Competing at the Trophee Clarins less than two weeks before Roland Garros, Boisson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during her round-one match against Fiona Ferro.
Boisson was forced to undergo surgery and spent nine months away from the game, with initial doubts as to whether she would be able to resume her career.
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2025 comeback and ‘deodorant’ row
After battling back from her horrifying injury, the 22-year-old was finally able to return to court at the start of 2025.
Boisson competed at a string of W35, W50, and W75 events, with her best result being a run to the final of the W35 event in Terrassa.
She then made her return to WTA-level action at the Rouen Open in April, where she was drawn into a rather bizarre controversy in her opening match.
The Frenchwoman easily dispatched Harriet Dart 6-0, 6-3 in round one, though the match was overshadowed by Dart asking the umpire to tell Boisson to “put on deodorant”.
Boisson was thankfully able to make light of the incident, joking on social media that she needed a Dove endorsement.
However, she would then suffer a painful defeat in the second round, losing a significant lead in a 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 loss to Moyuka Uchijima.
Heading into the French Open, again receiving a wildcard, Boisson bounced back from dropping down to world No 503 in the rankings with triumph at the W75 event in Saint-Gaudens.
Stunning French Open run
Boisson had never played a Grand Slam match before the French Open, though now she has the chance to take on one of the very best players in the world.
Coming into the tournament ranked 361st in the world, she pulled off one of the biggest shocks of round one with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over 24th seed Elise Mertens.
That was backed up by a dominant display in the second round, dropping just three games in a dismissive 6-1, 6-2 triumph over world No 113 Anhelina Kalinina.
Victory over Kalinina booked a third-round clash against compatriot and fellow wildcard Elsa Jacquemot, a match that provided both women with a major opportunity.
And it was Boisson who held her nerve when it mattered, battling past her compatriot 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 to keep her dream run alive.
Boisson now has the chance to take on world No 3 and Grand Slam finalist Jessica Pegula, in a match likely to be on Court Philippe Chatrier.
However, win or lose, the 22-year-old has already been a big winner from the tournament.
She has earned 240 ranking points thanks to her run through to the fourth round, propelling her up to world No 170 in the WTA Live Rankings – just 18 places off her career high.
Boisson will also more than double her previous career earnings thanks to her epic run.
The French ace takes home €265,000, approximately $300,712, for reaching the fourth round, having earned just $148,009 across her career before this week.
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The post Who is Lois Boisson? French Open star +191 in WTA Rankings after epic Roland Garros run appeared first on Tennis365.
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