Boisson bottles up Andreeva to spark French Open fairytale

PARIS :Lois Boisson sent the Roland Garros faithful into a state of euphoria on Wednesday, conjuring the unimaginable as she toppled Russian wunderkind Mirra Andreeva 7-6(6) 6-3 to reach the French Open semi-finals.

In her maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance, granted via a wild card, the world No. 361 became the first Frenchwoman to reach the Roland Garros last four since Marion Bartoli in 2011 — and she did it in style.

In a bleak year for French women’s tennis, with just one player inside the top 100, the 22-year-old Boisson — sidelined from last year’s tournament by a serious knee injury — stunned world number three Jessica Pegula in the fourth round before ousting the baby-faced but battle-hardened 18-year-old Andreeva, the world number six.

Next up? A clash with world number two Coco Gauff for a place in Saturday's final.

"It’s incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd that chanted her name, roared at every point, and turned against Andreeva when the Russian’s frustrations boiled over.

“I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on,” she admitted. “But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job.”

Andreeva, a semi-finalist in Paris last year, entered as the heavy favourite.

She looked to be cruising when she raced to a 3-1 lead under the closed roof on Court Philippe Chatrier. But Boisson refused to blink, point-by-point clawing her way back.

It was Andreeva who had to dig deep to stay alive, surviving a 14-minute game at 5-6 and saving three set points before forcing a tiebreak.

Even then, Boisson hung tough, recovering from 0-2, saving a set