Lois Boisson set for astonishing prize money payout after reaching French Open semi-final

Oli Dickson Jefford 04 Jun 2025 4:30 PM

Lois Boisson celebrates after a win.

Lois Boisson has been the feel-good story of the French Open – and one of the biggest surprise packages in tennis history.

Few would have heard of the world No 361 heading into Roland Garros, with the 22-year-old having never played a Grand Slam match before this fortnight.

After victories over 24th seed Elise Mertens, Anhelina Kalinina, and fellow wildcard Elsa Jacquemot, Boisson shocked the tennis world with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over third seed Jessica Pegula.

The result was one of the biggest upsets in recent history and made Boisson the first Frenchwoman since 2017 to reach the last eight of her home major, following Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.

However, she then pulled off arguably an even bigger shock in the quarter-final against sixth seed Mirra Andreeva, the reigning Dubai and Indian Wells champion.

Boisson battled from a break down in the opening set to overwhelm her 18-year-old opponent, prevailing 7-6(6), 6-3 inside a raucous Court Philippe Chatrier.

The Frenchwoman is the first wildcard in tournament history to reach the semi-final, and is only the fifth player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final on her first appearance.

Having been ranked outside the top 500 earlier this season after a nine-month injury absence, Boisson is now set to crack the top 70 following her French Open run, eclipsing her previous high of world No 152.

While her rankings rise will be life-changing, her prize money winnings will also make a significant difference for Boisson as she looks to continue taking her career to new heights.

Win or lose her semi-final against world No 2 Coco Gauff on Thursday, the 22-year-old is already set for a stunning payout.

Prize money winnings

Before her run at the French Open, Boisson had limited experience on the WTA Tour.

She had only played one WTA-level main draw tournament in singles before receiving a wildcard into Roland Garros this year.

That came at the Rouen Open back in April, when she beat Harriet Dart in round one before a three-set defeat to Moyuka Uchijima in round two.

The bulk of Boisson’s career has seen her compete on the ITF Tour, where she has won six titles, though she did win the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo in May 2024.

The tournament in Saint-Malo had an overall prize money pool of just $115,000 to split across the whole field, and the ITF events she has spent most of her career competing in offer even less prize money.

Heading into the French Open, the 22-year-old had earned just $148,009 across her career, though she has increased her overall career winnings by an astonishing amount following her run.

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After receiving a wildcard into the women’s draw, Boisson was guaranteed to earn €78,000 for playing her round-one match – the equivalent of approximately $88,841 based on current exchange rates.

However, by reaching the semi-final, the Frenchwoman has now earned herself €690,000 ahead of her clash versus Gauff, equivalent to approximately $787,999.

That brings Boisson’s career prize money haul to around $936,008, over six times what she had previously earned heading into Roland Garros.

Currently up to world No 65 in the WTA Live Rankings, Boisson will not have to worry about travel and coaching costs ahead of a likely step up to bigger events in the coming months.

Should she pull off another stunning upset and beat Gauff on Thursday, her prize money haul from Roland Garros will increase to €1,275,000 – approximately $1,455,954