Lois Boisson has continued her fairytale run at the French Open, where she has just beaten Mirra Andreeva.
Boisson loved the French Open crowd in her quarter-final win over Andreeva, in which the home favourite beat the Russian 7-6(8-6), 6-3.
The 22-year-old is playing in her first-ever Grand Slam main draw, with Boisson now meeting Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
She has now beaten two WTA top 10 players at the French Open, having knocked out Jessica Pegula in the fourth round.
Gauff has welcomed a hostile atmosphere against Boisson, who was unsurprisingly heavily backed by the fans against Andreeva.
Tracy Austin says Lois Boisson said something ‘amazing’ in her latest French Open press conference
The Frenchwoman has since received heavy praise from former world number one Tracy Austin, who said on Tennis Channel: “I think the fact that this is her first major, so yeah, first major, maybe she played 20 WTA events… No, she played one other WTA event.
“So to come in here and beat [Elise] Mertens immediately, Pegula, and then not have that let down, still come out there and beat Andreeva today, this is life-changing, career-changing.
“She’s going to go up to a guaranteed 68 in the world. That means she’ll be straight in the majors and all of the big tournaments as well.
“And I love what she said afterwards. She said, ‘I don’t want just make the semi finals, I want to win Roland Garros’. I just love that attitude. That’s what’s gotten her here, amazing.”
Tracy Austin spots what Mirra Andreeva did to get the French Open crowd ‘even more involved’
Boisson was projected to receive a wildcard for the 2024 French Open, but an ACL injury prevented that dream from coming true.
She has, however, now more than put that injury behind her with her current run, with WTA number two Gauff now in between her and a Grand Slam final.
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Boisson conversely was ranked all the way down in 361st place when she entered the tournament, with a huge rise now going her way.
Andreeva meanwhile was the sixth seed at Roland Garros, but undoubtedly felt the pressure of the raucous supporters.
They were fully against the 18-year-old, who lost her composure at times, which included hitting her own legs in frustration and smashing the ball up into the air.
Analysing key points of the match, Austin said: “Andreeva here, the set point, and look at it, it’s so difficult to hit to the Boisson backhand, it’s hard to find it.
“But today, when she hit that backhand, she was loose, and she just ripped it. And this is another big moment for Andreeva, another set point, and she misses this forehand across court just a little bit wide.
“I tell you, we talk about movement of Andreeva and how it has improved so much, Boisson, she seems to be everywhere.
“She loops that forehand, makes it very difficult. The RPMs are extremely difficult to deal with. And she seals that opening set.
“Andreeva regroups, and she gets ahead three love, you think okay, top 10 player, she’s going to figure it out, she’s going to stay calm.
“Not so much. Hits this long, and she’s tough on herself. And that is what got the French crowd even more involved.
“And when they get against you, it’s not they just get with Boisson, they start to get against an opponent, it is tough to play.
“Boisson, 361 in the world, yes she wants to win, but she doesn’t have the expectations that Andreeva does.
“This was the tough one right here. Easy volley right in the bottom of the net. And she decides… the roof is closed by the way, so this went somewhere inside the stadium. And the boos are resounding, they’re loud and Conchita Martinez doesn’t want to look.
“And it was really tough to watch these last three games because, yes, Andreeva fought, but just not sure her heart was completely in it because this was such a difficult occasion for her.”
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