The 6 women to reach Grand Slam semi-finals as wildcards: Lois Boisson joins Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin
Lois Boisson’s incredible 2025 French Open run has seen her become the sixth woman to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam singles event as a wildcard.
The 22-year-old Frenchwoman has conquered three seeded players — Elise Mertens, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva — as well as Anhelina Kalinina and Elsa Jacquemot, to reach the last four in Paris.
Boisson is the first wildcard to progress to the semi-finals of the French Open women’s singles tournament.
Here, we look at the five other women to reach a Grand Slam semi-final as a wildcard.
Zheng Jie – Wimbledon 2008
As a Wimbledon doubles champion in 2006, Zheng Jie was given a singles wildcard at the 2008 Championships after an injury-hit spell.
Ranked 133rd, Zheng advanced to the quarter-finals without losing a set, beating three seeded players — Dominika Cibulkova, world No 1 Ana Ivanovic and Agnes Szavay — as well as British wildcard Elena Baltacha.
The Chinese star then downed 18th seed Nicole Vaidisova in three sets in the last eight before falling in straight sets to No 6 seed Serena Williams in the semi-finals.
Kim Clijsters – US Open 2009
Kim Clijsters came out of retirement after a two-year hiatus in 2009, having given birth to her daughter in 2008.
The Belgian received a wildcard for the US Open, which was just the third tournament of her comeback, and she went on a remarkable run to win the title.
Clijsters, who was unranked, downed Viktoriya Kutuzova, 14th seed Marion Bartoli and Kirsten Flipkens in her first three matches.
She then defeated four top 20 players and current or future major champions in successive matches from the fourth round to the final: Venus Williams (3), Li Na (18), Serena Williams (2) and Caroline Wozniacki (9).
Justine Henin – Australian Open 2010
At the 2010 Australian Open, Justine Henin competed as a wildcard in what was the second event of her comeback from her first retirement in 2008.
The Belgian overcame Flipkens, No 5 seed Elena Dementieva, 27th seed Alisa Kleybanova, Yanina Wickmayer and 19th seed Nadia Petrova en route to the semi-finals, where she dismantled an unseeded Zheng Jie.
Henin fell narrowly short of matching Clijsters’ US Open triumph as she lost in three sets to world No 1 Serena Williams in the championship match.
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Sabine Lisicki – Wimbledon 2011
Sabine Lisicki, who would become a Wimbledon runner-up in 2013, made her maiden semi-final run at the All England Club as a wildcard in 2011.
The German saw off Anastasija Sevastova, third seed Li Na, Misaki Doi, Petra Cetcovska and No 9 seed Marion Bartoli en route to the last four.
Lisicki’s run ended with a straight-set semi-final loss to fifth seed Maria Sharapova.
Elina Svitolina – Wimbledon 2023
Elina Svitolina was given a wildcard to compete at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships as she continued her comeback from the birth of her first child in 2022.
A semi-finalist at the grass-court Grand Slam in 2019, Svitolina matched that result with wins against Venus Williams, 28th seed Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin, 19th seed Victoria Azarenka and world No 1 Iga Swiatek.
The Ukrainian fell in straight sets to unseeded Czech and eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova in the last four.
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