After her breakthrough at last year’s French Open, Lois Boisson navigated a turbulent period of coaching changes, briefly partnering with Florian Reynet before moving to Carlos Martinez. Injuries soon stalled her momentum, and even with Hendrik Vleeshouwers joining her team a month ago, victories remained out of reach. Now reunited with Reynet, Boisson is determined to reignite her career, reclaim her place on the tour, and celebrated her first WTA Tour triumph.

“I tried a coach last month, and I just realised that I needed to be with people who knew me from before,” Boisson said yesterday after winning her very first victory of the season at the WTA 500 in Strasbourg.

“The rest of the team hadn’t changed for years, but on tennis it was a little more complicated. I’m in a phase where I need to find myself, to find my bearings, that’s why I called Florian.”

Later, she added, “It’s the fact that I know each other by heart. He knows what I’m doing well, what I’m doing wrong, what I’m having trouble with, and where I’m strong, so communication is easier. We’ve known each other for years; everything is simpler.”

The 23-year-old from Dijon also expressed her relief and joy, saying, “Just happy to win a match again, it’s been a long time, and to have another match to play in two days.”

For the Frenchwoman, the fourth attempt at success this season proved to be the right one. After three early eliminations at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, as well as at the WTA 125 in Parma, Lois Boisson finally captured her first victory of the season on Sunday.

The French number one, ranked 43rd in the world, defeated China’s Wang Xinyu, ranked 33rd, in two sets, 6-3, 7-6 [4], in the first round at Strasbourg. Last year, after parting ways with Florian Reynet before the US Open, Boisson turned to Carlos Martinez.

That partnership lasted only a few weeks, with the Spaniard, former coach of Svetlana Kuznetsova, joining Boisson for just one event, the Beijing tournament in September 2025.

Later this year, Hendrik Vleeshouwers also joined her team following his split with Anisimova, finalized at the end of March. The trial with the Dutch coach, however, was not conclusive, as Boisson lost in the first round in Madrid, Rome, and Parma under his guidance.

Now, after her strong move in Strasbourg, Boisson faces a tough challenge in the R16 tomorrow, as she looks to build on her breakthrough victory and regain momentum on the tour.

Lois Boisson will take on Victoria Mboko at the Strasbourg Open

In the second round of the Strasbourg Open, Lois Boisson will face the top seed, Canada’s Victoria Mboko. Surprisingly, the 19-year-old Canadian, competing this week in Strasbourg for her first clay-court win of the season, has strengthened her team with a prominent figure on the WTA Tour.

Mboko is now training under the guidance of Wim Fissette, former coach of Naomi Osaka and, more recently, Iga Swiatek.

However, before facing the Canadian, Boisson remained calm under pressure. “I know her quite well; we’ve been seeing each other at the same tournaments for years,” she said.

She added, “She had an exceptional 2025 season. She’s a very good player, and I hope it will be a great match.” Lois Boisson and Victoria Mboko have no prior professional H2H meetings on record, making their upcoming match a first-time encounter.

Boisson’s focus will be on building rhythm and confidence under the guidance of her coach, Florian Reynet, as she aims to continue her momentum from Strasbourg.