In a tale that seems ripped from the pages of a tennis fairy tale, 22-year-old French wildcard Lois Boisson has etched her name into the annals of the sport with a breathtaking run at the 2025 French Open. Ranked a modest 361st in the world before the tournament, Boisson defied all expectations by surging to the semifinals at Roland Garros, a feat that not only captivated the home crowd but also saw her obliterate a 21st-century WTA Rankings record previously set by Emma Raducanu. Her meteoric rise of 296 spots to world No. 65 marks the largest leap into the top 100 this century, surpassing Raducanu’s 127-place jump from 150th to 23rd after her 2021 US Open triumph. “It was unbelievable, it was amazing to feel supported like this,” Boisson said, reflecting on the electric atmosphere at Court Philippe-Chatrier. “I have no words to describe that feeling.”
Boisson’s journey to this historic achievement was anything but straightforward. A year ago, she stood on the cusp of her Grand Slam debut, having earned a wildcard for the 2024 French Open after a breakout season that included a WTA 125 title in Saint-Malo and a career-high ranking of 152. But tragedy struck when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee just weeks before the tournament, sidelining her for nine months and plunging her ranking to 503. Undeterred, Boisson battled back, reclaiming her form with ITF titles and another wildcard for Roland Garros in 2025. “I [would] not believe that if you told me that two weeks ago,” she admitted after defeating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth round. “I trust in myself, but for sure, if you say that, no, I can’t believe.”
Her French Open campaign began with a statement, as she dispatched 24th seed Elise Mertens in the first round, her first win over a top-25 player. Boisson’s relentless topspin forehand and deft court movement shone through in subsequent rounds, including a commanding victory over Anhelina Kalinina and a gritty three-set triumph against fellow French wildcard Elsa Jacquemot. The turning point came against Pegula, where Boisson rallied from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, a match she described as “incredible.” “I knew before the match there was a possibility, but I knew it was going to be very, very tough,” she said. Her quarter-final upset of world No. 6 Mirra Andreeva, a 7-6(6), 6-3 thriller, cemented her status as the tournament’s Cinderella story, with the partisan crowd chanting her name.
Boisson’s semifinal run, halted by eventual champion Coco Gauff, earned her 780 ranking points and over $784,000 in prize money, a stark contrast to the $148,009 she had amassed in her career prior. As the first Frenchwoman to reach the Roland Garros semifinals since Marion Bartoli in 2011 and the first wildcard to do so in the Open Era, Boisson became the French No. 1 and a national hero. “Roland Garros is a dream and it’s a goal, so being in the quarter-finals is already a step ahead,” she said earlier in the tournament, unaware of the history she would make.
Comparisons to Raducanu’s 2021 US Open heroics are inevitable, but Boisson’s story is distinct. While Raducanu had shown promise with a fourth-round Wimbledon run before her US Open victory, Boisson had no prior WTA Tour pedigree, with only two tour-level matches before Paris. Her resilience, honed by injury and obscurity, mirrors the grit of other French players like Mary Pierce, who reached the 2002 quarter-finals as a wildcard. “Things are not going to change for me,” Boisson insisted. “It’s just that my ranking will enable me to play larger, more important tournaments.”
Off the court, Boisson’s charm has endeared her to fans, particularly after a lighthearted response to a viral moment at the Rouen Open, where opponent Harriet Dart complained about her scent. Posting a photoshopped image with a deodorant stick, Boisson showed she could laugh off controversy. Now, with automatic qualification for tournaments like Wimbledon and the US Open, her future is bright. Boisson’s record-breaking leap has not only eclipsed Raducanu’s milestone but also signaled the arrival of a new star, one whose journey from the ITF circuit to Roland Garros glory will inspire a generation.
Leave a Reply