4 days ago
Loïs Boisson stuns world No. 3, continuing her fairy tale run at Roland-Garros
For elite athletes, anything goes when it comes to landing a sponsor. In 2009, former French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil filmed himself running naked through the streets of Paris, posting the stunt on social media to catch a sponsor's eye. 16 years later, tennis player Loïs Boisson had her own moment of sudden online fame – though not by choice. At the Rouen tournament in April, her opponent, Harriet Dart, complained to the umpire, asking her to tell the French player to "wear deodorant" because "she smells really bad."
The British player's lack of class, caught by cameras, went viral on social media and did not escape the notice of Boisson, a native of Dijon. She chose to laugh it off. "Dove [deodorant] apparently needs a collab," she wrote on Instagram at the time, offering her services to cosmetics brands. A few weeks later, on Monday, June 2, Boisson toppled world No. 3 Jessie Pegula (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) and continued her remarkable run at Roland-Garros, no longer in need of self-promotion. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman secured a place in the quarterfinals, where she will face Russia's Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday.
