Homeland hero Lois Boisson stunned the tennis world on Monday. The 22-year-old wild card, ranked No. 361, pulled off a massive upset by defeating No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round at Roland Garros. The crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier roared as Boisson clinched the comeback victory after 2 hours and 40 minutes of electric tennis. This is only Boisson’s second tour-level event and her very first Grand Slam main draw. Now, she’s made it all the way to the quarterfinals in front of her home crowd. Paris has a new star, and she’s not done yet.

With this win, Boisson becomes the lowest-ranked woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Kaia Kanepi, who made it to the last eight at the 2017 US Open ranked No. 418. She’s also the first woman to reach the quarterfinals in her debut Grand Slam main draw since Carla Suárez Navarro did it in 2009, right here in Paris as a qualifier.

Now, Lois Boisson will face her toughest test yet. Next up is world No. 6 Mirra Andreeva, who beat Daria Kasatkina earlier in the day. The quarterfinal will be their first career meeting. The Frenchwoman has been the dark horse of the tournament, quietly carving her path through the draw. But after Monday’s performance, there’s nothing quiet about her anymore. From Coco Gauff to Iga Swiatek, she’s putting everyone on notice.

In her on-court interview, she made her intentions loud and clear. When asked, “What do you want to say to the Roland-Garros crowd?” Boisson responded, “That I hope to win [this tournament].”

Lois Boisson turned pro back in 2019 at just 16 years old. She spent most of her early years grinding through ITF events, with only a few appearances at the WTA tour level. In 2021, she made her WTA debut thanks to a doubles wildcard at the Lyon Open. But her Grand Slam dreams had to wait; between 2021 and 2023, she never made it past the first round of qualifying at Roland Garros.

That changed in 2024. She started the year strong, capturing the WTA 125 title in Saint-Malo and rising to a career-high ranking of No. 152 by early May. That performance earned her a well-deserved wildcard into the French Open main draw.

However, an injury changed everything.

How an injury prevented Lois Boisson from living her French Open dream

For Lois Boisson, this breakthrough moment is all the more special because of where she was a year ago. In 2024, she started the year strong, capturing the WTA 125 title in Saint-Malo and rising to a career-high ranking of No. 152 by early May. That performance earned her a well-deserved wildcard into the French Open main draw. But just days before the tournament, she tore the ACL in her left knee during a match at the Trophée Clarins. She missed nine months of action and couldn’t even watch the tournament from home.

Now, a small tattoo on her right elbow serves as a reminder of what it took to return: resilience. And there’s no better word to describe her journey. This year in Paris, she opened with a win over 24th seed Elise Mertens, followed by a smooth second-round victory over Anhelina Kalinina. In the third round, she survived a tough battle against fellow Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot to book a place in the second week.

Lois Boisson’s quarterfinal opponent, 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, has been on a roll herself. Meanwhile, the rest of the women’s draw is shaping up to be just as intense. Coco Gauff breezed past Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 to set up an all-American quarterfinal against reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys. Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek is also through and will face 13th seed Elina Svitolina. At the top of the rankings, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will take on No. 8 seed Qinwen Zheng.

But all eyes in France remain on Boisson, the breakout star who went from injury heartbreak to home-hero status in just one year. Can Lois Boisson keep her magical run alive in front of her home crowd?