From a torn cruciate ligament to the miracle of Roland Garros: Boisson writes the wildest tennis fairy tale

When Boisson missed her French Open debut with a knee injury just before the start of last year's French Open, no one could have imagined that the unknown French girl would make the whole of Roland Garros crazy for her a year later. Last night, Beijing time, the 22-year-old Parisian native used an epic comeback to knock out the No. 3 seed Pegula from the tournament, becoming the third women's singles player in the Open era to advance to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time, creating the most shocking dark horse legend of this tournament.

In May 2024, while most of the players were making their final push for the French Open, Boisson was lying on the operating table undergoing surgery for his anterior cruciate ligament repair. Professional tennis players know that this injury often means a long recovery period. Nicola Escude, technical director of the French Tennis Federation, recalled: "We were talking about whether she could return in the middle of the 2025 season, and no one dared to imagine that she could perform like that at the French Open. "

Boisson returned to action in February after nine months of rehabilitation. In April, she won her first win since her comeback at an ITF event; In May, the French tennis federation risked a prized wild card to the injured player, who was ranked only 361st, a decision that now looks like a godsend.

With a first-round upset win over No. 24 seed Mertens, she began to attract the attention of the tennis media; With a 6-3 0-6 7-5 win over compatriot Jacquemo in the third round, there was a realisation that the wildcard could be a surprise. But what really got Paris boiling was the epic comeback against Pegula in the fourth round.

After dropping the first set, Boisson showed tactical wisdom that was disproportionate to her ranking, and she continued to press Pegula's weak backhand position, and a cross-ball from the crucial break in the second set sent Philippe Chartier to the ground. The deciding set was tied at 4-4, and she scored three consecutive winning points to completely destroy the psychological defense of the American star. When Pegula made his final return out of bounds and Boisson fell to his knees on the clay, someone in the audience held up a sign that had already been prepared: "361→? "

The stats of this win are diligent:

- 430 points in a single game, equivalent to 1.5 times her previous career total;

- Instant ranking soared to 120th, setting a new personal high;

- Became the lowest-ranked French Open women's singles quarterfinalist in 40 years;

- After Pierce in 2002, he became the second wildcard player to reach the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Even more striking is her efficiency: in the previous four Grand Slam tournaments, only seven women had qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time, while Boisson joined the elite club in just four matches.

After the fading of the golden generation of French tennis such as Pouilly and Garcia, Boisson's birth came at the right time. Her temperament has the romance and irreverence of a typical French player: daring to try to slide in a straight backhand at key points and suddenly unleash delicate balls on break points. Former French Open champion Noah commented: "She has turned the clay court into an artistic stage, and every shot is made with the imagination that is unique to France. "

The French will face the invincible young girl Andreeva in the quarter-finals, and although it will be difficult to beat Andreeva in the sky, Boisson has already done enough miracles – from the operating table to the centre court, from the unattended to the national carnival, the 22-year-old has made the jump from 361st to 120th to prove that in the world of tennis, the real ranking is always engraved in the heart, not the standings.

When Boisson bowed affectionately to the spectators after the quarter-finals, the red, white and blue ribbons falling from the stands seemed to tell the story of fairy tales, destined to be written on the red clay of Paris. This tale of tenacity and wonder is perhaps the true nature of competitive sports.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Mei)