Roland-Garros: Frenchwoman Loïs Boisson qualifies for the quarter-finals after a new exploit

Another huge performance under her belt. The last Frenchwoman competing at Roland Garros, Loïs Boisson (ranked 361st in the world), pulled off the feat on Monday, June 2, of overthrowing world number 3, American Jessica Pegula, in the round of 16 of the Parisian Grand Slam.

On the clay courts of the Porte d'Auteuil, the 22-year-old Dijon native, who is competing in her first Roland-Garros, defeated the American in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, after a battle lasting almost three hours. She will face 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva (ranked 6th) in the quarterfinals.

To find a trace of a Frenchwoman in the quarter-finals who received an invitation from the organizers, we have to go back to 2002 with Mary Pierce , who finally fell to Serena Williams that year.

It took Loïs Boisson a while to shake off the challenge of the match against the recent Miami Masters 1000 finalist. After a tense start, the last French player in the standings broke down after 35 minutes of play, losing the first set 6-3. Brittle on serve and racking up unforced errors, she came back with a vengeance in the second set.

When she began to vary her game with well-timed drop shots and several controlled lobs, the world number 361 hit several winners. More aggressive than the world number 3, she broke her opponent's serve at the best possible moment and wrapped up the set (6-4), in front of a crowd that was finally getting excited.

The decisive set reached an impressive level of play, symbolized by numerous rallies in which the American was often the first to break. The last two games, extremely hard-fought, were no exception. Even though she had to save four 5-all points, the Frenchwoman snatched victory (6-4) thanks to a big serve at 190 km/h followed by a powerful forehand, her favorite weapon.