'MY DREAM IS TO WIN IT, NOT TO BE IN THE SEMIFINALS’: BOISSON FAIRYTALE NOT DONE YET

Lois Boisson, Getty

Just ten days ago, Lois Boisson had one tour-level victory and was yet to play in a Grand Slam main draw.

She'd never played a top-50 player, was 1-7 W/L against the top-100, and had earned $148,000 USD in career prize money.

A week or so on, the 22-year-old is into the Roland Garros semifinals, having defeated the world no.3 and no.6 consecutively, and now stands only alongside the three best players in women’s tennis (Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff).

It’s a life-altering run for many reasons.

Financially, a semifinal run in Paris means almost $800,000 (USD) in earnings, a remarkable increase on her career tally in Boisson’s seventh season on tour.

And the run has set herself up monetarily for at least the near future, not including the sponsorship benefits of a run like this at home.

Having started the week ranked no.361, with a career high of 152 (before suffering an ACL injury in May last year), Boisson will now rise to at least no.65 in the world, with the potential to skyrocket towards the top-20 in the coming days.

It means she’ll be in the main draws of the next four majors – something the 22-year-old hasn’t experienced before – and for anyone who’s seen her game this week, you’d expect that to continue.

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For most, such a significant change and moment would be a reason for celebration or at least satisfaction.

But having come out of Boisson’s press conference following the biggest win of her life, she didn’t appear one bit satisfied with a major semifinal.

“I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semifinal. So, I will try to do my best for it,” the 22-year-old said with confidence.

Speaking to a large media contingent in the main press room – the second largest of the tournament, only behind Nadal’s final Roland Garros conference – Boisson was not accepting suggestions that her run has been one of fortune.

“I don't think it's a miracle. I’ve had a little bit of luck, but I think it's just the hard work that I put in since I started playing tennis and also last year with my rehab and everything,” she said.

“It's just a result of hard work. Nothing else.”

Two days after defeating third seed Jessica Pegula, the Frenchwoman took down sixth seed Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in Paris, winning the clash 7-6(6) 6-3 over the star teen.

The match was far less routine than the scoreline would suggest, with both players having multiple set-point opportunities in an 80-minute opening set, before Boisson finally secured the crucial lead.

And after Andreeva hit back to lead 3-0 in the second, the local wildcard reeled off six straight games, much to the frustration of her opponent, to book a semifinal spot.

“I knew that I could change the momentum. I just needed to continue what I needed to do, and I overcame everything,” Boisson said of her second-set turnaround.

And while Boisson is playing very different caliber opponents than her usual weeks on tour, she's approaching matches in the same manner.

“If I play a 300-ranked player or a player top 10, the preparation is the same. We analyse the game of the player, and I do what I have to do with my game plan, and that's it,” she said.

We know how small the margins are between those right at the top and those fighting to make the cuts for majors, but even so, it's hard to fathom why Boisson has struggled to break through at ITF level (the stage below the WTA tour), particularly with that forehand.

Statistics from her quarterfinal with Andreeva showed Boisson was hitting her forehand at an average of 3051 RPM, 38 per cent above the WTA top-50 average, and remarkably, 2.4 per cent above the ATP top-50 average.

That shot will again be vital against second seed Coco Gauff tomorrow, where the wildcard looks to take down a third straight top-10 player and, incredibly, reach the final of her home Grand Slam.

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