Lois Boisson's dream French Open run ended in semi-final by Coco Gauff
France's Boisson, the world number 361, sent shockwaves around Roland Garros by becoming the first wildcard to reach the semi-finals.
The 22-year-old from Dijon proved she could cut the mustard having knocked out third seed Jessica Pegula and sixth-ranked Mirra Andreeva.
But world number two Gauff managed to dilute the Paris crowd with a composed 6-1 6-2 victory to set up a final showdown with top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.
'Lois is an incredible player and for her to have the tournament she's had, she's shown she's one of the best players in the world,' said the American.
Coco Gauff ends Lois Boisson fairy tale and goes back to a Roland-Garros final 💪#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/aQAWssTZOE
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2025
'I hope we have many more battles in the future, especially here, Today it was just my day.
'I knew 99 per cent of the crowd would be for her. When they were chanting her name in my head I just chanted mine, to psyche myself up.'
It was a grand slam semi-final of enormous contrasts, Boisson's career earnings before this tournament totalled just over £100,000 while Gauff – a year younger – has amassed nearly £18million.
However, Boisson will at least be £580,000 better off after her fortnight's work in the French capital.
She can also console herself with a climb in the rankings of 296 places to 65 – she has gone from French number 24 to number one – and a likely wildcard for Wimbledon.
Coco Gauff, right, consoles Lois Boisson (Lindsey Wasson/AP)
Gauff, the French Open runner-up in 2022, opened up a 4-0 lead before most of the Court Philippe-Chatrier patrons had retaken their seats – presumably they had been for a boisson or two – following Sabalenka's three-set win over Iga Swiatek.
The heavy topspin forehands which previously accounted for five players were not firing, and even when she got a break back at the start of the second set, Gauff quickly snuffed out the mini French revolution.
Victory was sealed in an hour and nine minutes to break French hearts while Gauff will get a second chance at glory in Paris on Saturday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
First Rangers departure of summer 'close' days after Russell Martin confirmed his internal Ibrox assessment
The Ibrox overhaul is already well underway after the 49ers took control of the Glasgow giants New boss Russell Martin could see Issame Charai depart his coaching staff amid reports of an offer in Belgium. It comes just days after Martin confirmed he would weigh up the backroom team as part of his internal Ibrox overhaul. The American revolution is well underway for Rangers following the mega-money US takeover - with the former Southampton boss keen to put his own stamp on the squad. Former Morocco Under-23 head coach Charai only arrived at Ibrox in January to work under Philippe Clement - and was the only member of the coaching team to remain from the Belgian's era to work under Barry Ferguson. He still remains on the staff following Martin's arrival but reports in Belgium claim he is the frontrunner to take over at KVC Westerlo. DH report that a change is "likely" for the Belgian Pro League side with boss Timmy Simons set to depart with Charai - who played in Belgium for Mechelen and St-Trond - the favourite to succeed the outgoing gaffer. It is said he is the club's leading candidate - and while Simons has still yet to be officially shown the door an agreement is "close" for a replacement. The report comes after Martin admitted he would examine the structure of the coaching set-up after bringing in Matt Gill as his assistant and physical performance coach Rhys Owen. He said: "Matt Gill's coming. He's been my assistant manager all the way through and he brings technical expertise as a coach. "Brilliant coach who had to play a huge role in developing a lot of players at Norwich since he had the 21s. We played together very briefly and then I worked with him when he had the 21s. "When I was on my way out as a player at Norwich and I realised then what an excellent coach he was and how much care he had for the players and how much they loved him. "Guys like Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell and the Murphy twins, some brilliant players under his tutelage. And we're very different personalities, so he's a bit more calm and introverted than I am, so it's good for me and it's a good balance. "He's coming and then Rhys Owen's coming as well, who's actually on holiday in Portugal just now. He's been texting us relentlessly because it feels like he's missing out today. "But he'll be up here next week and he's a physical performance coach first and foremost. "Really aligned with the way we want to play so he understands how the players need to be prepared and he'll work with the sports science and physical department up here, medical department and be a really good link from them to us to get to know each other very quickly and to understand what the physical requirements will be. "Also a really good technical coach as well so it's just those two at the moment and then we've got some brilliant people inside the building and we'll assess things over the next few weeks together and then see if we need to add and as and when we do and see in which areas." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Sabalenka wins first set against Gauff in French Open women's final
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka won the first set 7-6 (5) against No. 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open women's final on Saturday. The match has been full of tension and momentum swings so far, amplified by the windy conditions. Sabalenka came out strong on Court Philippe-Chatrier, finding her stride early and pushing Gauff onto the back foot with deep groundstrokes and assertive net play. Sabalenka quickly built a 4-1 lead but a string of errors and double-faults allowed Gauff to get back into the match. Sabalenka managed to break again for a 5-4 lead yet her game continued to fluctuate between unforced errors and flashes of brilliance. Gauff stayed patient and composed, breaking back to level the score once more. They traded breaks again and the set, which lasted around 80 minutes, was decided by a tiebreaker. Sabalenka trailed 3-0 but recovered from the poor start to close out the set at the net. Despite a chance of rain later Saturday afternoon, organizers opted to keep the retractable roof open. Both women are aiming to win the title for the first time. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far. The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, has won three majors but is appearing in her first French Open final. It is the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. Sabalenka and Gauff have split their 10 previous matchups evenly, but Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, also on a clay court at the Madrid Open a month ago. ___ AP tennis:
Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
Coco Gauff is not actually tennis star's real name as people confused
Coco Gauff is not actually tennis star's real name as people confused Coco Gauff is in action in the French Open final against Aryna Sabalenka - and the American tennis sensation has previously explained why she goes by 'Coco' Coco Gauff (Image:) Tennis star Coco Gauff has spoken about the fascinating reasons behind her preference for her nickname over her birth name 'Cori'. The young prodigy, who captured the world's attention at 15 by storming to the fourth round of Wimbledon, has been affectionately known as 'Coco' since her landmark victory over Venus Williams at the renowned championships in 2019, catapulting her into stardom. Her impressive achievements include clinching the US Open title in 2023 and appearing in two French Open finals, preparing for a showdown against Aryna Sabalenka on a Saturday afternoon this year. In a previous discussion, Gauff unveiled the backstory of her sobriquet: "My dad's name is Corey," she communicated. "And so I guess, you know, they didn't want me to get my dad and me confused when my mom is like yelling at one of us in the house." Concerning the moniker 'Coco', she detailed two potential sources: "With Coco there are two stories. My aunt says she came up with calling me Coco. But then my dad said, when he was younger, people used to call me Co. "Then he was like, I'll call my daughter Coco. I don't know which story is actually true, but they both get pretty bad if I don't say both of them. I just say that." Gauff also recounted occasional mix-ups due to her name: "Every time I check into hotels or people at the airport, they look at my ID, obviously the airport you book under your real name, but the person sometimes will recognize me and they'll be like, 'Wait, are you Coco?', I'm like, 'Yeah, it's just a nickname. I'm not somebody that looks like her'." Article continues below Moreover, she explained typical confusions at hotels: "In the hotel, sometimes, like, 'Well, we don't have your room', I'm like, 'It's probably under Coco, not Cori', and then they'll do that." Ahead of the French Open final, Gauff said: 'My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened,' she said. 'Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a grand slam final before and doing well in one. 'I think going into Saturday I'll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible. Whatever happens, happens. 'I think just realising how minuscule it is, everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final. And realising however many players wanted to be in this position. 'I'm sure there are hundreds of players who would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that makes me realise how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position. Article continues below 'At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, but you know, the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise. 'Especially being in a city like Paris, I was walking around the next day, and no one knew that I lost, and no one cared. I was just realising that how big the moment seems in our lives is not as big in the grand scheme of things.'
