Coco Gauff has booked her spot in the French Open semifinals for the third time after defeating fellow American Madison Keys in a gripping three-set match. The No. 2 seed battled through a tense opening set loss to rally back and claim a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 victory on the red clay of Roland-Garros on Wednesday.
While Gauff’s return to the final four isn’t unexpected, her next opponent is the real surprise. The 2023 U.S. Open champion will now take on French wild-card entrant Loïs Boisson, ranked 361st in the world — a name few expected to see this deep into the tournament. Boisson has become the Cinderella story of the 2025 French Open, continuing her sensational run by stunning No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-3.
For Boisson, the moment is nothing short of magical. Just a year ago, her dreams of a Grand Slam debut were dashed by a torn knee ligament. Today, she stands in the semifinals of her first-ever major, an achievement not seen since Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati achieved similar feats back in 1989. She is now the lowest-ranked woman to reach the semifinals at Roland-Garros in at least four decades.
With a powerful clay-court game built on heavy groundstrokes and unyielding crowd support, Boisson has electrified the Parisian fans. The energy at Court Philippe-Chatrier was palpable as the partisan crowd rallied behind their home hero, who upset No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the previous round and then outlasted a visibly rattled Andreeva in front of 15,000 roaring fans.
Despite warnings from the chair umpire about crowd noise and sportsmanship violations from Andreeva, Boisson remained composed, saving a set point in the first and ultimately falling to the clay in joyful disbelief at match point. Covered in clay and overwhelmed with emotion, Boisson’s fairytale run has captivated the tennis world.
Meanwhile, Thursday at Roland-Garros will see both women’s semifinal clashes, with three-time champion Iga Swiatek facing Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster showdown, while Gauff and Boisson battle for a place in the final. The men’s semifinals — including matches featuring Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev — are scheduled for Friday.
No matter the outcome, Loïs Boisson’s incredible journey at the 2025 French Open has already made history.
