French wildcard Lois Boisson makes history at Roland Garros with semi-final spot
The 22-year-old Frenchwoman, ranked 361 in the world, followed up her win over third seed Jessica Pegula with a 7-6 (6) 6-3 victory over Russian world number six Mirra Andreeva.
Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes on a packed, ecstatic Court Philippe-Chatrier.
'I'm just proud of myself, because it was really tough for me to go into the semi-final,' she said.
LOIS BOISSON.REMEMBER THE NAME.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/brvgyZydRe
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025
'Every match was really tough, so I'm just proud about how it ends every time. And proud about what I do on the court.'
Boisson's earnings from the year so far were £15,000, and she has now pocketed £580,000 for her fortnight's work in Paris.
Her run has echoes of Emma Raducanu's charge through qualifying to win the US Open in 2021.
If she goes on to win it, it would be even more unbelievable, as Raducanu was at least on the radar having reached the fourth round at Wimbledon before her New York triumph.
And Boisson, who faces second seed Coco Gauff for a place in the final, freely admits she is dreaming of claiming the title.
'I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a slam. More for French player to win Roland Garros, for sure,' she added.
'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. So I will try to do my best for it.'
It was all too much for Russian 18-year-old Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second.
Lois Boisson 🆚 Coco Gauff, who will make the final? #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/shWsnvnPhi
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025
She told the crowd to 'shut up', received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and shouted at members of her coaching team to leave.
Andreeva said: 'I think that the way I managed to kind of not react to anything in the first set – I think that if I would have been able to do this throughout the whole match, would have been great.'
Boisson had suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year and spent nine months recovering.
She had won just one Tour-level match before Roland Garros, against Harriet Dart whose unpleasant comment that her opponent needed to wear deodorant must now be eating away at the British player this fortnight.
Boisson is projected to rise to 65 in the WTA rankings, which would place her above Dart.
Gauff had earlier scrapped her way past her fellow American Madison Keys, the seventh seed, 6-7 (6) 6-4 6-1.
The 21-year-old faces arguably an even bigger test on Thursday against an inspired Boisson and 15,000 raucous Parisians on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
'I think there are two ways I have done it in the past,' said Gauff. 'Either, A, just pretend they're cheering for you, or B, just using it and not letting that get to you.
SUPER LUIGI INTO THE SEMIS 🔓#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/1E12VgThHz
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025
'I think it's just something that I will mentally prepare for if it were to happen and expect and be ready for.'
Boisson had spent the morning hitting with none other than men's top seed Jannik Sinner.
It seemed to do both the world of good, with Italian Sinner dispatching Alexander Bublik in straight sets.
The Kazakh, who knocked out Jack Draper on Monday, was beaten 6-1 7-5 6-0.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
2 hours ago
- Time Out
Sambousek Parramatta
✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. The vibe Relaxed, modern and edgy, this Lebanese street food restaurant on Parramatta 's main eating strip, Church Street, is an excellent place to stop by for a cheap eat – perhaps on your way to or after a show at the Parramatta Riverside Theatres, or to take away and eat down by the river. The interiors have exposed brickwork, and there's a big sign painted on the brickwork in Lebanon's national colours, saying: Sambousek Lebanese Street Food. The counter is tiled around the edges in pretty Middle Eastern-style tiles, and there's a big, beautiful espresso machine on the countertop. You can walk in and take away, or there's seating out the back. The food One of our favourite things about Sambousek is the huge, lit menus above the counter, which show photos of pretty much every dish you can order – so you know exactly what you're going to get. The photos are bright and colourful, and the food all looks fresh and delicious. There are loads of options to choose from so it's not easy to narrow it down. If you have a really big appetite, it'll be satisfied with a 'Phoenician Meal' (a mixed plate), which all come with tabouli, coleslaw, babaganoush, hummus, mixed pickles, plus your choice of a range of mains, including chicken shish, beef kafta, falafel and more. There are pizzas – both the traditional Lebanese kind (manoush) as well as actual pizza pizzas (e.g. margherita, pepperoni and supreme). Then there are pides, chock-full wraps and a 'Kaak' section, which lists options served on big Lebanese sesame-seed rolls. There's the kaak burger with beef kafta, triple cheese, grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, pickles, Russian dressing and tomato sauce. Then there's a Reuben kaak, spicy chicken and prawn kaak, garlic chicken kaak, falafel kaak, vegie kaak and more. We order some manoush – the zaatar and cheese ($8), and the garlic chicken and cheese ($11). They're huge – like full-sized large pizzas – so that's dinner for two sorted for a ridiculously good $19. They're delicious – cheesy comfort food. The drink Sambousek is open every day from 8.30am so stop by for a delicious morning coffee (as long as you don't mind also leaving with a snack; we know you'll be tempted). Time Out tip Order the actual sambousek (a savoury pastry, like the Lebanese version of an empanada). You can pick from beef, cheese or mixed, and it's $10 for four of them. These are the best restaurants in Parramatta.
Time Out
4 hours ago
- Time Out
Lucien Baked Goods
Lucien Baked Goods is the baby of Parramatta 's most celebrated café, Circa Espresso (just a ten-minute walk away), which has won People's Choice award for Favourite Café in Time Out's Food & Drink Awards several times, including in 2025. Lucien opened in late 2023 as a hybrid bakery-café where you can come witness the pastry wizards at work while munching on oven-fresh croissants and sipping locally roasted coffee served in beautiful rustic mugs. I highly recommend the almond croissant. Light, flaky, buttery pastry encases a dense almond filling, and it's topped with a handful of crispy almond flakes and a dusting of icing sugar. Prime real estate is reserved in Lucien's pastry cabinet for fresh pastries and cakes, which are baked on-site multiple times during the day. If you're having lunch, grab one of the generously-packed bagels from the display, or if you're after a sweet treat, there are canelés, choux buns, seasonal tarts, danishes and Lucien's signature pistachio scroll of croissant dough, filled with pistachio cream and decorated with pistachio praline and rose petals. Good luck stopping at one. Cakes are available whole or by the slice including a burnt Basque cheesecake, gluten-free raspberry and almond Persian love cake, Russian honey cake (medovik) and hazelnut brownie topped with gianduja. Or make more of a meal of it by ordering a croque monsieur or madame, or a sujuk and egg wrap, off the menu. The selections lean into the Middle Eastern flavours that Circa regulars would recognise and love. It's no surprise that coffee is Circa's locally-roasted beans (which makes arguably the best coffee in Parramatta), and there are also house-made drinks like a lemon squash, chai lattes and Egyptian iced tea. You can take a slice of Lucien home with grab-and-go baked sourdough, baguettes and brioche; raw honeycomb; housemade chilli oil; jams and relishes. Atmosphere-wise, this place steers away from the converted warehouse chaos and quirks of Circa Espresso – Lucien has sleek, clean lines, earthy tones of natural wood, and natural daylight spilling through floor-to-ceiling glass windows. We sit at a table on the pavement because we're there on a nice, sunny day. The all-day bakery is backed by Circa's owner Aykut Sayan along with the café's head chef, Tom Clunie, and its pastry chef, Adeline Ribis (the café is also named after Clunie and Ribis' two children, Lucy and Bastien).
BreakingNews.ie
11 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Aryna Sabalenka ends Iga Swiatek's French Open reign in semi-final rollercoaster
Iga Swiatek's reign as the queen of clay was ended by Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the French Open. The irresistible force beat the immovable object as runaway world number one Sabalenka inflicted the four-time champion's first defeat at the tournament in four years. Advertisement In the first meeting between the WTA's two most dominant players at a grand slam since the 2022 US Open, Swiatek's run of 26 consecutive victories at the Paris grand slam was halted in a 7-6 (1) 4-6 6-0 defeat. FIRST ROLAND-GARROS FINAL FOR SABALENKA ✅👊 #RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2025 A three-time grand slam champion on hard courts, Sabalenka finally made her first final on the red dirt of Roland Garros. After a match which would have graced the final – and it probably would have been had Swiatek's ranking not slipped to five – Sabalenka said: 'Honestly it feels incredible. 'I understand the job is not done yet but I'm thrilled with the performance and this win.' Advertisement Sabalenka's powerful, deep returns unsettled 24-year-old Swiatek at the start as she raced into a 3-0 lead with two breaks. Iga Swiatek's French Open reign is over (Lindsey Wasson/AP) The Belarusian thought she had served an ace for a 5-1 lead, only for a let call from umpire Kader Nouni, who felt it had flicked the net cord. The momentum suddenly shifted with Swiatek winning four successive games, before Sabalenka held and then produced a stunning forehand winner on the run to break for 6-5. She could not hold, though, with Swiatek's returns now doing considerable damage, but Sabalenka regrouped impressively to take the tie-break for the concession of just one point. Advertisement The quality increased in the second set, so much so that any slight mistake from one player was brutally punished by the other. Iga Swiatek levels the match! 💪 The defending champion roars back, taking the second set 6–4 against Aryna Sabalenka. All square in this Roland-Garros semi-final thriller! #RolandGarros — TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 5, 2025 Polish star Swiatek was making far more forays to the net than usual, and it paid off when a perfect cushioned volley into the corner levelled the match. Sabalenka's levels – including her noise levels – moved up a notch again in the decider and the 27-year-old drew first blood with a break for 2-0. A second break knocked the stuffing out of the defending champion, who looked resigned to her fate long before Sabalenka's final backhand winner flew past her. Advertisement Swiatek, now without a single title to her name – her last was Roland Garros 12 months ago – said: ' I love playing here, so for sure I'm happy that I was fortunate enough to play so many great tournaments here. 'Even this one, you know, I feel like I played better than in the weeks before. I'm just happy that I have this place to come back to every year and just try to push myself.'
