Wild card Lois Boisson thrilled her home fans with a stunning fourth-round upset of No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula on Monday at the French Open in Paris.
Ranked No. 361 in the world, the 22-year-old Boisson rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory before a delighted crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros.
Boisson’s 2-hour, 40-minute breakthrough came in her first Grand Slam main draw and just her second WTA Tour event, becoming the first Frenchwoman to reach the quarterfinals since 2017.
Pegula, ranked No. 3 in the world, had a 4-3 lead in both the second and third sets but couldn’t put Boisson away.
Boisson is the lowest-ranked woman to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal since No. 418 Kaia Kanepi at the 2017 U.S. Open, and the first woman to reach that round in her first major since Carla Suarez Navarro in Paris in 2008.
Up next for Boisson is No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva, who also moved on in straight sets. The 18-year-old Russian dispatched practice partner and No. 17 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5 to become the youngest woman to reach the final eight at the clay-court major since Martina Hingis in 1997-98.
Andreeva, who overcame a 5-3 deficit in the second set, compiled a 28-11 edge in winners and converted four of seven break chances.
“I knew today we would have a lot of long points,” Andreeva told reporters. “I felt like she reads where I’m going to play. She knew when I’m going to hit a drop shot, which side, and I felt like I was running from corner to corner a lot.
“Of course, it’s not a nice feeling, but this match was very intense. I’m happy that I managed to keep playing the game and win the match in the end.”
No. 2 seed Coco Gauff advanced to her fifth consecutive French Open quarterfinal with a 6-0, 7-5 victory against 20th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in 82 minutes.
“She stepped up her game in the second,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “Some balls I hit a good shot and she would hit a winner on the line. If she wins like that I can keep my head up high, so overall I thought I played great.”
At 21, Gauff is the fourth-youngest woman in the Open Era to record a streak that long behind Hingis (1997-2001), Stefanie Graf (1986-90) and Conchita Martinez (1989-93).
Gauff, a finalist in 2022, will face fellow American Madison Keys in the quarterfinals. The seventh-seeded Keys defeated Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 7-5.
Keys trailed 5-4 in the second set before closing out the match in one hour and 36 minutes. The 2025 Australian Open champion is trying to get back to the semifinals in Paris for the first time since 2018.
–Field Level Media
