Lois Boisson: From world No 513 to Roland-Garros semi-finals and French No 1 in a month – it was impossible, so she did it
The 22-year-old is one match away from making a Grand Slam final on her debut
Loïs Boisson, Roland-Garros 2025 | © Dante Badano / Psnewz
On May 5, 2025, just 20 days before the start of Roland-Garros, Lois Boisson was slumped at No 513 in the world rankings, having won just one WTA Tour match in her career.
Less than three weeks later, the 22-year-old Frenchwoman, now ranked No 361 – she won an ITF tournament in the South of France just before coming to Paris –, is through to the semi-finals of her home Grand Slam event, on her debut at the WTA level, having beaten Top 10 Jess Pegula (No.3) and then Mirra Andreeva (No.6) in successive matches. Boisson is the lowest-ranked player to make the semis in Paris in 40 years (according to the WTA Tour).
So, just how could something like this happen?
Wildcard required to get into ROLAND-GARROS
It’s worth remembering how she even got into the tournament in the first place.
Only the world’s top 104 players get automatic entry into a Grand Slam event, with 16 qualifiers and eight wildcards usually making up the full 128-player draw.
The cut-off for entry to a slam is six weeks before the start of a slam. When that occurred, she was way down the rankings so the only way she could get into the draw was either through a wildcard into qualifying – and then to win three matches to make it – or to get a wildcard into the main draw itself.
That’s what happened, with the announcement made on May 13, based on her May 5 ranking of No 513.
Previous best ranking of No 152 helped
What will have been a big factor in her receiving a wildcard into the main draw is the fact that in May 2024, she was climbing the rankings and stood at a career-high No 152.
Having won three ITF titles, she won the WTA 125 event in St Malo, beating another Frenchwoman, Chloe Paquet, in the final. But a week before last year’s Roland-Garros, she suffered an ACL injury to her left knee that put her out of action until February 2025.
Since returning, Boisson won her first WTA Tour level match, beating Britain’s Harriet Dart in a match that became contentious when the Briton accused of her of having severe body odour.
Boisson laughed off the situation and went into the French Open with confidence, having won another ITF event.
Mertens win sets the tone
Few people expected her to win, though, when she was drawn to face Elise Mertens, the seasoned Belgian, seed No.24, in the first round, but she came out on top in three sets, before going on to win easily against Anhelina Kalinina in round two.
In the third round, she looked to be struggling badly with more knee trouble when she dropped the second set 6-0 to fellow Frenchwoman Elise Jacquemot. Somehow she recovered, though, to win in three before going on to stun Jessica Pegula, the No 3 seed in the fourth round.
Boisson : ” some pressure, but I can deal with it”
Though Boisson walks slowly between points and even though her body language looks heavy often during her matches, she seems to revel on the big stage.
The presence of Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament director, in the second row of the presidential box, was somehow fitting. Mauresmo, famously, struggled badly at Roland-Garros, never able to make it past the quarter-final, sometimes looking like her racquet weighed a ton.
By contrast, Boisson plays with flair, freedom and belief, and with the crowd more than playing their part, she fought her way past sixth seed Mirra Andreeva for back-to-back top 10 wins and a place in the semi finals.
“I think every player has pressure,” she said. “Maybe most for French players that play in Roland Garros, for sure. But it’s also like you have to deal with it, because if not, you cannot win any matches. I just try to do my best about it. I have some pressure, but I can deal with it.
“For me the crowd is really not something that put pressure on me, because they are with me. I love to play with the crowd. I love to hear my name when I won a point and everything. For me it’s just something plus. It’s not pressure, but I think it’s also really difficult for other players from other countries. It’s really nice to have them.”
Andreeva : “If she keeps playing like this…”
Andreeva, who admitted she struggled to cope with the intensity of the crowd, said she thinks Boisson could go further.
“If she keeps playing like this, freely and not being scared or afraid, I don’t know if pressure to lose or whatever you can be afraid of, I think everyone can win,” Andreeva said.
“I think if maybe she believes in herself enough, maybe she can (win), but I don’t know.”
Like every French player, playing at Roland-Garros was a childhood dream for Boisson. But having got this far, she’s not done yet.
“I think every kid who plays tennis have the dream to win a slam,” she said. “More for French players to win Roland Garros, for sure. So, yeah, 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.”
French No 1 and now maybe a Wimbledon wildcard
Her run to the semi-finals means Boisson will be ranked at least No 65 on Monday, which makes her the French No 1, a remarkable turn of events. She’ll go much higher if she beats Coco Gauff in the semis and she would be on the verge of the top 20 if she somehow goes on to win the title.
And the follow-up to all this could well be that she receives a wildcard into the main draw at Wimbledon. At the moment, she’s due to play in the qualifying event using a protected ranking of No 152, but the All England Club often award one of their eight main draw wildcards to players who do well in Paris.
