Tennis star Lois Boisson told she 'smells really bad' before stunning French Open
Tennis star Lois Boisson told she 'smells really bad' before stunning French Open
Lois Boisson was ranked 361st in the world ahead of the tournament but a fairytale run has seen her soar up the rankings
Lois Boisson (L) of France embraces Mirra Andreeva after her victory
(Image: 2025 Andy Cheung )
French Open wildcard Lois Boisson has stunned the Roland Garros crowd again by sealing another shock win over world number six Mirra Andreeva to make it through to the women's singles semi-finals.
The 22-year-old, who was ranked 361st in the world ahead of the tournament, continued her fairytale run as she battled back to upset 18-year-old Andreeva and claim a 7-6(6), 6-3 win. Having become the first player in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals of the event as a wildcard, she will now face world number two Coco Gauff in the last four.
Boisson has also become the youngest French women's semi-finalist at a Grand Slam for 26 years, while she has now soared a huge 296 places up the rankings to a projected new career-high of 65th.
After battling to victory in front of a home crowd, Boisson was blown away by the support she had received as she reflected on her phenomenal achievement.
'It was unbelievable, it was amazing to feel supported like this," she said in her post-match interview. "I have no words to describe that feeling.
'Whatever the situation last year and difficult moments we went through, it's unbelievable to come from there, but it's also thanks to my team who supported me. It's thanks to all of us, really.
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"I think I ran a bit too much because I was so tense.," Boisson added as she analysed her performance. "It was difficult to hit the ball from the racket. I fought hard.
"The first set was very intense and at the beginning of the second set, I was really tired. But in the end, I managed to recover and to finish as I did.
'Well, I'm going to try and recover, see the physios, there's six physios in my box. So I have plenty of choice.'
Boisson is through to the French Open semi-finals after another stunning win
Boisson - who had already beaten third seed Jessica Pegula on her way to the quarter-final - was a relative unknown ahead of the tournament but hit headlines earlier this year when she was accused of "smelling really bad" by British star Harriet Dart.
The two went head-to-head at the Roeun Open in April, with Boisson coming out on top with a 6-0, 6-3 upset win.
However, it was a comment made by Dart during a changeover in the second set that caused controversy, as she was heard asking the umpire: "Can you ask her to to put on deodorant? She smells really bad."
Dart was slammed for her comments and she later apologised in a statement on social media, writing: "I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret.
"That's not how I want to carry myself, and I take full responsibility. I have a lot of respect for Lois and how she competed today. I'll learn from this and move forward."
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Boisson later made light of the incident as she shared an edited photo of her holding deodorant and told toiletries company Dove that they "need a collab".
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