Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Lois Boisson vs. Coco Gauff – Will Gauff’s Grand Slam Experience Outshine Lois Boisson’s Magnificent Run?

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Three years ago, Coco Gauff stood at the Philippe-Chatrier, teary-eyed, watching Iga Swiatek receive the Roland Garros trophy. The scoreboard had read 6-1, 6-3, a brutal reminder of how far she still had to go. Today, the 2023 US Open champion returns to the centre court, not as a teary finalist, but as WTA No. 2 and a player reborn, having finally tamed the double faults that once haunted her game.

Waiting on the other side is France’s Cinderella, Lois Boisson, ranked WTA No. 361. Her run has stunned the fraternity, dispatching WTA No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth round and WTA No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. With the magic in her swing, Boisson now stands just two steps away from her Roland Garros fairytale ending. So, who will prevail?

Coco Gauff vs Lois Boisson Preview

Coco Gauff has rediscovered her form on clay after a turbulent start to this season. Following a quarterfinal finish at the Melbourne Slam, the WTA No. 2 suffered early exits in the Qatar Open, the Dubai Tennis Championships (Round 32), the Indian Wells (Round 16), and the Miami Open (Round 16). However, when she moved to the clay season, her game changed altogether.

Gauff reached the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, then stormed into back-to-back finals in the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, falling to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively. Her 2025 clay record now stands at 13–4. At the French Open, she has dropped just two sets en route to the semifinals, including a commanding 6-0, 7-5 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Post-victory, she confidently admitted, “I move well on clay… this is the most physical surface.”

Has France's Cinderella story met it's match? 👗

We preview the Gauff-Boisson semifinal 👇#RolandGarros https://t.co/Tz6Ykf6XVb
— TENNIS (@Tennis) June 5, 2025

The 2023 US Open champion has built her success this season on a formidable return game. She has converted 53% of her break-point opportunities and has won an impressive 43.8% of her return games. Her serve, while effective in stretches, remains a mixed bag. Gauff has held 71.1% of her service games and won 70.9% of points on her first serve. But despite her 104 aces and saving 54.5% of break points, her 193 double faults remain a glaring issue she needs to address quickly.

Gauff’s opponent, Boisson, has been superb, statistically. She has won 73.9% of her service games, a strong 63.5% first-serve rate, and 70.7% success on those points. She has also saved 72.7% of break points and kept her double faults to just 5 across matches.

Women since 1980 to make the semifinals on their Grand Slam debut:

Monica Seles, Roland-Garros 1989
Jennifer Capriati, Roland-Garros 1990
LOIS BOISSON, ROLAND-GARROS 2025 pic.twitter.com/jPBpPTidfk
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) June 4, 2025

But it is her return numbers that stand out even more. She has won 52.4% of return games and converted 73.3% of break-point chances. With 50.4% of total return points won, Boisson has made life difficult for her opponents. Her fourth-round upset over World No. 5 Jessica Pegula turned heads and announced her return in style. While Boisson’s unexpected dominance surprises the crowd, Coco Gauff’s confident mindset makes their clash even more thrilling. Despite Boisson’s surprising rise, veterans still find Coco Gauff a favorite for the clay season.

“Coco is such a good competitor,” remarked ex-WTA pro Tracy Austin

In Tennis Channel’s recent podcast on June 3rd, Austin praised Gauff while analyzing the WTA star’s quarterfinals match against Madison Keys. “I’m thinking that anybody who’s going to beat Coco is going to have to play a very high-quality match for two out of the three sets, not just one set because Coco is such a good competitor now,” she said, highlighting her faith in Gauff’s clay-court potential.

Austin also added, “I’m also wondering whether Clay might eventually be her best surface because of her mobility, because she’s so quick out of the corners and can extend points and now she has the ability to also hit through the clay. It’s going to be awfully tough to beat Coco Gauff.“

Gauff d. Madison Keys 6-7(6) 6-4 6-1

Coco reaches her 3rd Roland Garros semifinal.

She ends Madison’s 11 match win streak in Slams and is the first player to beat her in a Slam this season.

✅5th Grand Slam SF
✅5th top 10 win of 2025
✅29th career top 10 win

🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/treSrNUXBN
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 4, 2025

Despite Austin’s analysis, one veteran believes Lois Boisson has the potential to change the game’s narratives.

Mats Wilander thinks Lois Boisson is “absolutely brilliant.“

In an interview with TNT Sports recently, this former Swedish player complimented Boisson’s performance. “She was absolutely brilliant. Technically, now that you see her play, she is actually really good. Her forehand is incredibly good. She spins her forehand more than the average man does in the top 50. You need some serious strength and she has it. She runs and moves unbelievably well. She has a beautiful slice backhand,” said Wilander.

He believed Boisson’s setback last year was not just because of her injury but also her mental struggles. “She can hit aces. She literally has the whole game. You wonder if it’s just an injury which has kept her out of it, but also a mental thing. You hope this will give her the confidence because for me, she is a top 20 player on any surface with that kind of game,“ he concluded.

Following Mats Wilander’s compliment, Boisson’s winning stakes are quite high tonight. But she needs to maintain her consistency against an indomitable opponent like Coco Gauff. So, who do you think will go home with a smile tonight?