Lois Boisson reaches French Open semifinals with stunning win over Mirra Andreeva

New York Times

2 days ago

ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — The Loïs Boisson fairytale continues in Paris, with the world No. 361 becoming the first woman in 35 years to reach the semifinal at their first ever Grand Slam.
Boisson has been upsetting the odds all fortnight, and on Wednesday she bridged a rankings gap of 355 places to defeat the No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6(6), 6-3. She is the first Frenchwoman into the semifinals here since Marion Bartoli, in 2011.
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This time a year ago, Boisson, 22, was beginning nine months of rehabilitation after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee on the eve of Roland Garros. Boisson had been given a wild card for the French Open, but suffered the injury a week before at a minor tournament in Paris. Boisson didn't even watch the major on television.
And while this may have be her first ever Grand Slam, it was her opponent, four years younger but far more experienced at this level, who unravelled under the Chatrier roof. Andreeva was given a warning in the second set for smashing a ball up towards the roof, and asked for one of her team members to leave. Playing against a home player can scramble a player's mind, and Andreeva was spinning in the Roland Garros washing machine.
But this was Boisson's day. A performance of courage and technical excellence against one of the best players in the world, just two days after eliminating the world No. 3 Jessica Pegula and when a letdown following that would have been entirely understandable. Expected even.
The early indications were that Boisson's French Open story might have peaked with that Pegula win. She was matching Andreeva, but the Russian just had that little bit more nous, her backhand down the line especially devastating. But after Boisson saved a set point on her own serve down 5-3, she started to hit with more freedom, bringing her hugely powerful forehand more into play.
In two separate games, Boisson hit inside-in forehand winners in three out of four points, as she broke back for 5-5 and saved another Andreeva set point in the ensuing tiebreak with a lob that landed on the line and drew a missed forehand. Two points later, after another missed Andreeva forehand, Boisson was a set to the good. Andreeva whacked a ball away in anger, while Boisson put her finger to her ear and asked for even more noise.
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Chatrier, half-empty at the start, was close to full now, and it had become a pressure cooker. Andreeva broke early in the second set but she was quickly reeled back in, and she was rapidly losing her cool. With Boisson serving down 3-2, Andreeva gestured toward her box as if asking someone to leave the stadium.
It was the next game that saw her rocket a ball into the top tier of the stadium after missing a routine volley. The crowd, already trying to disrupt the match in Boisson's favor, erupted in a chorus of boos that took up every last bit of air in the stadium. On the next point, an Andreeva forehand was called in but then overruled by the umpire, followed by a double fault to give up the break to fall 3-4 down.
Boisson sensed her moment and reeled off the next couple of games, saving a break point in the process. When one last howitzer forehand drew a missed Andreeva backhand, Boisson collapsed to her back as she celebrated one of the most extraordinary Glad Slam runs in tennis history.