Roland Garros 2025: In a nail-biting contest, home favourite Lois Boisson demonstrates her might, victoriously advancing to the eighth round at the cost of Elsa Jacquemot.
French tennis player Loïs Boisson clinched a hard-fought victory in an all-French duel at the Roland-Garros 2025 tournament on Saturday, beating Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 0-6, 7-5. Boisson, ranked 361st in the world, displayed her prowess on the Simonne-Mathieu court despite battling pain in her left knee.
The first set saw Boisson demonstrating her versatile game, tactfully mixing powerful forehands, strategic lobs, and well-timed net approaches to overwhelm Jacquemot. However, her pace sharply decreased due to the knee injury, which had been bothering her since the match's inception.
"I started to feel a little discomfort in my knee at the beginning [of the match], something I'm used to," explained Boisson to France Télévisions. "But this time it lasted longer. So I wasn't sure... But luckily, after that, it got better and it passed." Despite the discomfort, Boisson sought the assistance of a kinesiologist to adjust her left leg after the first set.
Boisson's injury history includes a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, an incident that occurred in a tournament in 2024, which prevented her from participating in the main draw of Roland-Garros 2024, despite a successful ten-match winning streak leading up to it[1]. However, it did not deter Boisson from participating in Roland-Garros 2025, where she has been impressing spectators with her clay court skills[2].
In the second set, Boisson seemed to be affected by her injury, with her first serve failing more frequently (55% success rate compared to 70% in the first set), committing more unforced errors (14), and producing fewer winners (half as many as in the first set). As a consequence, she lost the set 6-0 in less than half an hour. However, Boisson rallied in the third and decisive set, offering the audience a thrilling spectacle, and eventually securing the victory.
With this win, Boisson became the last French representative in the second week of Roland-Garros, regardless of gender. She will now face American and world number 3 Jessica Pegula in the eighth-final round, marking her first eighth-final appearance in a Grand Slam tournament[3]. Despite her lack of prior success in Majors, Boisson has shown resilience and determination, proving that her ranking does little justice to her playing abilities.
Sources:[1] L'Equipe, Loïs Boisson casse son silence après l'opération de son genou, February 3, 2025, https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Loïs-Boisson-casse-son-silence-apres-l-operation-de-son-genou/1772595[2] Tennis World USA, Loïs Boisson's Upset Victory at Roland-Garros, May 31, 2025, https://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/lois-boissons-upset-victory-at-roland-garros-114485/[3] Roland-Garros, Présentation - Loïs Boisson, n.d., https://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/joueurs/wy/L/lois-boisson/d25913/
Despite her knee injury, Boisson managed to utilize her versatile game in the first set, showcasing powerful forehands, strategic lobs, and effective net approaches.In the following set, Boisson, who has previously recovered from a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, struggled due to her injury, but rallied in the third set to secure a thrilling victory, displaying her resilience and determination on the tennis court.
