Lois Boisson’s Cinderella French Open run continued with a shock win in her fourth-round match.
The Frenchwoman is currently ranked 361st on the WTA Tour, and had never before competed in the main draw of a Major tournament prior to this year’s French Open.
With the odds seemingly stacked against her, Boisson rose to the challenge, knocking out Elise Mertens, Anhelina Kalinina, and Elsa Jaquemot on her way to the last 16 of Roland Garros.
There, it looked as if her time had run out, as she trailed number three seed Jessica Pegula, 3-6 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
She was not to be denied, however, as Boisson, fuelled by the Parisian crowd, fought back to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Reacting to the 22-year-old’s shocking victory, former Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey has named the Grand Slam winner Boisson reminds him of.
Sam Querrey says ‘jacked’ Lois Boisson reminds him of US Open champion Sam Stosur
During the latest episode of Nothing Major, Querrey gave his verdict on Boisson’s incredible comeback from injury.
“[Lois] Boisson, injury, yeah. The injury was that she tore her ACL a year ago, and she’s now one of the best movers,” he said.
“You see her move around the court and it’s unbelievable.”
Boisson tore her ACL right before last year’s French Open tournament, as she was made to wait for her Grand Slam debut.
Querrey then named the two WTA players who he thinks Boisson is a ‘combination’ of.
“She is like a combination of Sam Stosur and [Maria] Sakkari,” he said.
“She is jacked. You can see the muscles in her legs. Unbelievable athlete.”
The American then reflected on Boisson’s win over Pegula, explaining how the Frenchwoman caused problems for the world number three.
“She [Boisson] has a big kick serve and forehand. Her backhand is so so. She chips it a lot,” said Querrey.
“But she has such a high, heavy forehand, and [Jessica] Pegula hits the ball flat, so it was getting up above Jessie’s shoulders, which is tricky for her.
“The last 15 minutes of that match were stressful around the grounds. The Jumbotron out here, everyone was watching.
“I feel for Jess, that’s a tough loss for her. But credit to Boisson. She went out and earned it and hit big forehands and serves.
“She is really good.”
Could Lois Boisson take inspiration from Sam Stosur’s shock US Open win in 2011?
In 2011, Stosur travelled to Flushing Meadows as the number nine seed, and wasn’t considered a favorite by any means.
However, as the seeds began to fall, Stosur proved her class, advancing to her second Grand Slam final.
- 2011 US Open SF – Sam Stosur beat Angelique Kerber
- 2011 US Open QF – Sam Stosur beat [2] Vera Zvonareva
- 2011 US Open 4R – Sam Stosur beat [25] Maria Kirilenko
- 2011 US Open 3R – Sam Stosur beat [24] Nadezhda Petrova
- 2011 US Open 2R – Sam Stosur beat Coco Vandeweghe
- 2011 US Open 1R – Sam Stosur beat Sofia Arvidsson
Standing between Stosur and a first Major title was three-time champion Serena Williams, who hadn’t dropped a set all tournament.
Snapping that streak in the first set of the final, the Aussie stormed into a 6-2 lead on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
To the surprise of many, Stosur’s level never dipped, clinching her sole singles Grand Slam win with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against the legendary American.
Provided with tough tests along the way, Stosur passed them all with flying colors, sealing a historic win 14 years ago.
If Boisson wants to make history of her own, she will need to run an even more difficult gauntlet at Roland Garros.
Just as Stosur did in 2011, Boisson will play a Russian in her quarterfinal match, taking on 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who hasn’t dropped a set in Paris.
If she were to advance past Andreeva, she’d take on either America’s Coco Gauff or Madison Keys in the last four, two former Major champions.
Either three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek or world number one Aryna Sabalenka would then await her in the final, both of whom have far more experience than the Grand Slam debutant.
It certainly looks like Boisson will have her work cut out for her if she wants to win the French Open on her debut in 2025.
She won’t want to get too far ahead of herself, however, and will first focus on her quarterfinal match, where she’ll play Andreeva on Wednesday, June 4.
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