It took less than a minute for the shenanigans on a crammed Court Philippe-Chatrier to begin. While Loïs Boisson and Mirra Andreeva feathered their first forehands of the warm-up, the French crowd cleared their throats with a forceful rendition of La Marseillaise. The message was clear: no matter how the match unfolded, they would be there with the home player until the end.
All 15,000 of them were there to witness and encourage the extension of one of the most unexpected breakthrough runs in the history of tennis. Boisson, a French wildcard ranked No 361 and competing in her first French Open, continued her incredible journey through the draw by toppling the sixth seed Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.
On Thursday she will face Coco Gauff, the American No 2 seed, who held her nerve after a difficult start to defeat the Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1.
Boisson had never defeated a player ranked inside the top 90 or even faced a top-50 opponent before she took her first steps on the clay courts at Roland Garros as a main-draw entrant 10 days ago. The 22-year-old had just one tour-level win, a match in Rouen two months ago, which generated significant attention after her British opponent, Harriet Dart, claimed she had body odour. Despite her lack of experience at the highest level, Boisson is now the lowest-ranked grand slam semi-finalist in 40 years and only the third player since 1989 to reach the semis at her first major tournament after Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati.
Boisson entered the tournament as the 24th-ranked tennis player in France – she will leave Paris as her country’s new No 1.
“I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a slam,” she said. “More for French players to win Roland Garros, for sure. It’s a dream. For sure I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semi-final. So I will try to do my best for it.”
Although underdog stories come easily, there has never been anything like this. One year ago, she was granted a French Open main draw wildcard after a few encouraging tournaments on the lower level ITF circuit. A week before the biggest occasion of her life, Boisson tore an anterior cruciate ligament at a small warm-up tournament in Paris. Six painful months of rehabilitation followed.
One year later, having made positive steps in her few tournaments back, she was granted another shot at Roland Garros with a wildcard. She had already seized the moment with astounding vigour and self-belief, beating four quality players en route to the quarter-finals, including a delirious three-set win over the No 3 seed Jessica Pegula.
However, Andreeva posed a completely different challenge. One of the best young talents to emerge in recent years, the 18-year-old had established herself as a genuine title contender this year.
Despite the French crowd’s desperation to get involved in the match, Andreeva controlled the early exchanges, outsmarting Boisson with her superior court sense and well-timed drop shots while lasering down-the-line backhands at will. The Russian took a 5-3 lead and held a set point on Boisson’s serve.
Throughout this week, Boisson has shown beyond doubt that she is a talented player with a distinct, tricky game. She pairs her wicked, heavy topspin forehand with a potent serve, excellent athleticism and ample variation, including a sweet feel on her drop shots.
As Boisson settled into the match, she began to inflict damage on Andreeva. With every successful point, the crowd further enveloped the match. “It’s normal that [they] would support a French player, so I knew that it’s going to be like this,” Andreeva said.
“I think that in the first set I managed it pretty well. I didn’t really pay attention to that, but with nerves and with pressure, it became a little harder. But, anyway, I think that I can learn from this, so nothing more I can say for now.”
Under suffocating pressure from a formidable opponent, her own ambitions and a bloodthirsty audience that jubilantly cheered every point she lost, Andreeva – who won at Indian Wells in March – fell apart. Her forehand disintegrated as she served for the set at 5-4 and then she began to struggle with her serve. As her composure eventually crumbled, Boisson played with courage and determination in the biggest moment of her career to close out another unforgettable victory.
“I don’t think it’s a miracle,” Boisson said. “For sure, I have a little bit of luck also, but I think it’s just the hard work that I put since I started playing tennis and also last year with my rehab and everything. It’s just the result of hard work. Nothing else.”
