It is widely known that the French Open is the only Grand Slam held on clay, making it the pinnacle of the sport on this surface. Historically, players who perform well at Roland Garros tend to also find success on other clay courts.
However, there is always an exception. One player who shone at the French Open in 2025 has yet to claim a victory during the 2026 clay season. Who is this player, and what did she achieve in Paris? Let’s take a closer look.
The player in question is Frenchwoman Lois Boisson. In early May 2025, shortly after securing her first title of the season, she entered the French Open as a wild card. With a world ranking outside the top 360, few expected her to make any impact.
Boisson defied all odds. She opened with a three-set win over former Grand Slam semifinalist Elise Mertens, notching her first main-draw victory at a major. She then went on to defeat Yuliia Starodubtseva, compatriot Elsa Jacquemot, US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, and WTA 1000 champion Mirra Andreeva before falling in the semifinals. Remarkably, she became the first wild card in the Open Era to reach the last four at Roland Garros, and the youngest French woman to do so in the 21st century.
Boisson proved she was no one-hit wonder, following up with a title at the WTA 250 Hamburg event. However, after winning two matches at the China Open in September 2025, she suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from the tour, disappearing from the spotlight for an extended period.
She made her return in late April 2026 at the Madrid Open. In the first round, she faced American Peyton Stearns, a player with multiple tour titles. Stearns dominated the opening set 6-1, then secured the second 6-3 to send Boisson packing. Just a week later, Boisson entered the Italian Open in Rome. She drew Czech veteran Katerina Siniakova in the first round and managed to win only five games in a straight-sets loss.
With two consecutive early exits on clay, Boisson’s comeback has been a struggle. As the 2026 French Open approaches, the once-revelatory wild card faces a steep hill if she hopes to replicate her magical run on home soil. Can she find her form in time? Only time will tell.