French Open wild card and debutant Lois Boisson seeks a third consecutive top-10 victory at Roland Garros to upset world No. 2 Coco Gauff in Thursday's semi-final showdown.
The home player overcame Mirra Andreeva in a thrilling quarter-final, continuing her dream run in Paris and setting up a mouthwatering last-four contest against the second seed, who overcame adversity to end Madison Keys's winning streak at Grand Slams and reach a third career semi-final in the French capital.
Match preview
© Imago
The average observer watching Wednesday's women's quarter-final likely thought Boisson's chances were dwindling when she found herself down 3-1 and 5-3 in the first set; however, she rallied, saving set points to clinch the opener.
Said observers probably felt similarly when the debutant was down 3-0 in the second set, with the expectation that an irked Andreeva was dialled in and poised to secure a comeback victory.
Once more, the wildcard responded, winning six games in a row to upset another top-10 player, who lost her composure in the closing stages, unable to withstand the partisan crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The outcome of Wednesday's 7-6(6), 6-3 victory in two hours and eight minutes means the fairytale run on home soil continues for the 22-year-old, who missed last year's event due to a serious ACL injury.
Entering this year's tournament ranked No. 361 after her recovery, the debutant has become the first wildcard in the Open Era to reach the last four in the French capital.
Having followed in the footsteps of Amelie Mauresmo as the youngest French semi-finalist since her compatriot's Wimbledon achievement in 1999, Boisson, who has upset two top-10 players on her way to the last four, now seeks an even bigger scalp by surprising the world No. 2.
© Iconsport
Gauff will aim to avoid the pitfalls experienced by Andreeva on Wednesday, hoping to sidestep a shocking exit against a player who enters the semis fresh off emulating Monica Seles as the player to defeat multiple top-10 players in her maiden Grand Slam main draw since Seles's 1989 accomplishment in Paris.
The second seed had to dig deep to overcome a dreadful start that saw her fall 4-1 behind in the opening set, recover from losing a tight tiebreak and stage a remarkable comeback to secure a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 victory in two hours and 11 minutes.
By defeating Keys, the 21-year-old not only ended a two-match losing streak against the 30-year-old but also halted the Australian Open champion's 11-match Grand Slam winning streak to progress to yet another semi-final in the French capital.
Gauff, now boasting a 25-5 record at Roland Garros, aims for her 26th victory to reach Saturday's title match.
Having been defeated in the last four by Iga Swiatek 12 months ago, the young American's chances of reaching another final in Paris appear brighter this time; however, the second seed will need to be wary of the fierce ball-striking of the tenacious wildcard and the enthusiastic crowd on Chatrier on Thursday.
Tournament so far
Lois Boisson:
First round: vs. Elise Mertens 6-4 4-6 6-3
Second round: vs. Anhelina Kalinina 6-1 6-2
Third round: vs. Elsa Jacquemot 6-3 0-6 7-5
Round of 16: vs. Jessica Pegula 3-6 6-4 6-4
Quarter-final: vs. Mirra Andreeva 7-6[6] 6-3
Coco Gauff:
First round: vs. Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-2
Second round: vs. Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-4
Third round: vs. Marie Bouzkova 6-1 7-6[3]
Round of 16: vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0 7-5
Quarter-final: vs. Madison Keys 6-7[6] 6-4 6-1
Head To Head
Gauff and Boisson face off for the first time on the women's tour, with the victor taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
While Boisson has a 9-3 career record in semi-finals, none have been on the WTA Tour; her inexperience pales in comparison to the American, who holds a career 13-15 record in last-four contests, having won four consecutive matches in Riyadh last year (defeating Aryna Sabalenka), the United Cup (beating Karolina Muchova), Madrid (triumphing over Swiatek) and Rome (outsmarting Qinwen Zheng).
We say: Gauff to win in three sets
Anyone betting against Boisson on the French clay must reconsider after the wildcard's inspiring run, which has included upset victories over Pegula and Andreeva.
Thursday's outcome will depend on Gauff limiting her double faults and forehand errors, as those have been consistent issues for the American star.
We are backing the second seed to avoid an upset against the Frenchwoman, thereby ending the 22-year-old's dream run and securing a spot in Saturday's title match.
