“Watch out for her”: Mats Wilander backs Lois Boisson after Pegula shock in Roland Garros

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander showered praise on the surprising Lois Boisson, the French wildcard who just defeated Jessica Pegula. The French tennis player has become only the second wildcard to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament since Mary Pierce in 2002.

Just a week ago, Boisson was a complete unknown on the WTA Tour. She entered the tournament with a ranking of No. 361 and had never even reached the top 150. However, she managed to navigate through the rounds and, when it mattered most, defeated none other than world No. 3 Jessica Pegula to secure her spot in the quarterfinals.

The 22-year-old has already guaranteed reaching her best ranking as world No. 120 after the tournament, an improvement of over 240 positions. Furthermore, this was her first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, making her an unfamiliar name to the rest of the draw, with a playing style that has thoroughly troubled her opponents.

"Yeah, her forehand is unbelievable, and there's so much spin on it," the former world No. 1 Wilander said on TNT Sports. "I was actually down there watching it live early in the third set, and it's amazing how high it bounces."

"And I love the variety, I love the slice backhand. I'm not sure if she's scared of hitting it two-handed here, but she can hit a two-handed backhand. So you just wonder where she has been, obviously she has been injured Boisson but what a great player she is."

For the Swede, the conditions at Roland Garros are perfect for Boisson to showcase her best game, with great variations on both forehand and backhand. "She has the perfect clay court game and now it turns out that she knows how to use the crowd as well, so I say watch out for her because she now believes she can go further. She said she is here to win the tournament."

Boisson became the first local tennis player to reach the French Open quarterfinals since Kristina Mladenovic back in 2017. "It's so important for the tournament, obviously to have somebody from the home country in all the Grand Slams," claimed Wilander. "And you realize when it happens how important it is for the tournament, but also for our sport. And of course for a tennis nation like France to have somebody in the quarter-finals is crucial for the development of the juniors that are coming in."

Boisson's next challenge will be against teenager Mirra Andreeva (No. 6). The Russian comes off defeating her friend Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round and is looking to replicate her semifinal appearance from 2024. They have no prior encounters, and Andreeva will need to be cautious if she wants to defeat the local surprise, who enjoys the unanimous support of the Parisian crowd.