French wild card Lois Boisson's dream debut run at Roland Garros came to an end Thursday with a 6-1, 6-2 semifinal defeat to Coco Gauff. The 22-year-old, ranked world No. 361, made history for both her nation and the women's game at large with her shock second-week showing in her maiden Grand Slam main-draw appearance.
With a game built on her big forehand, fueled by the passionate support of the French crowd, Boisson became the first woman to reach the semifinals in her Grand Slam debut since Jennifer Capriati at the 1990 French Open. She’s also the first wild card to advance to the Roland Garros semis in the Open era and the lowest-ranked woman to make a major semifinal in the past 30 years (not counting the unranked Kim Clijsters at the 2009 US Open and Justine Henin at the 2010 Australian Open).
The Dijon native is the youngest French semifinalist at a major since Amelie Mauresmo—now the Roland Garros tournament director—at Wimbledon in 1999. The last Frenchwoman to win the title at Roland Garros was Mary Pierce, 25 years ago, and the last home hope to reach the women's semis was Marion Bartoli in 2011.
"The public is really supportive and supporting the French players," Boisson said in her native tongue, reflecting on the crowd's impact on her run. "I played three times on Chatrier, and I have never had such an atmosphere. It was amazing, and we really feel supported. [The fans] really push us when things get tricky on the court. When the public are there, it really makes a difference."
The stunning statistics come one year after a knee injury forced Boisson to withdraw from the 2024 French Open. Her left-knee ACL tear came one week before what was set to be her major debut: On the cusp of the WTA's Top 150 at the time, she had been granted a wild card.
One year later, she is set to soar nearly 300 places into the Top 70 behind her five wins this Paris fortnight.
"I don't think it's a miracle," Boisson said ahead of the semifinals. "It's just the result of hard work. Nothing else."
After beating 24th seed Elise Mertens in three sets in the opening round, Boisson claimed two Top 10 scalps by beating third seed Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva in succession to reach the semis.
After Boisson's defeat to Gauff, there are comparisons to be drawn to the American's own Grand Slam debut. Six years ago at the age of 15, the American stunned Venus Williams at Wimbledon—as a qualifier, no less—as she burst onto the major scene with a fourth-round showing as the world No. 313.
"I think [Boisson's] position is especially harder because I think at the French, there's not a lot of [home] players that have made this result in the recent years. So I think the whole country is going to be looking at everything," Gauff said when asked what advice she might give the Frenchwoman for adjusting to her newfound fame.
"I guess my biggest advice is just to stay true to yourself... Keep your people around you [and focus on] what they expect from you, not what media expects from you or other outside analysts expect for you.
"It's going to be probably a weird few months for her," Gauff added. "But I think the more it happens, the more you get used to it."
The other obvious comparison for Boisson's run is Emma Raducanu's title triumph at the 2021 US Open. The Briton was 18 and ranked world No. 150 when she took the tennis world by storm that summer in New York.
While Raducanu was dominant, winning all 20 sets she played across the main draw and qualifying, she did not face a Top 10 opponent and knocked out just two seeds: No. 11 Belinda Bencic and No. 17 seed Maria Sakkari.
Another key difference, as pointed out by Jim Courier, is Raducanu's previous Grand Slam experience.
"[Boisson's run] is completely out of the blue. Emma Raducanu had made the fourth round of Wimbledon prior to that. She had already been on the scene and played some pressure matches," Courier said.
"This is so impressive [that Boisson] is able to manage the moment and let alone beat these opponents, but just not beat herself. That is what I would think would be the biggest challenge when you are facing something so new, so unusual and overwhelming for most people who experience it for the first time."
By The Numbers: Boisson at Roland Garros 2025, Raducanu at the 2021 US Open, Gauff at Wimbledon 2019
Age
Boisson: 22; Raducanu: 18; Gauff: 15
Ranking
Boisson: No. 361; Raducanu: No. 150; Gauff: No. 313
Total Wins (Result)
Boisson: 5 (SF); Raducanu: 7 (Champion); Gauff: 3 (R4)
Set Record
Boisson: 10-5; Raducanu: 14-0; Gauff: 6-3
Top 10 Wins
Boisson 2; Raducanu: 0; Gauff: 0
Wins vs. Seeded Opponents
Boisson: 3; Raducanu: 2; Gauff: 0
Prize Money
Boisson: €690,000 (EUR); Raducanu: $2.5 million (USD); Gauff: £176,000 (GBP)
