Boisson barges Andreeva aside in anthemic victory

French wildcard outwits Russian to extend dream run in front of home fans

- Tumaini Carayol

It took less than a minute for the shenanigans on a crammed Court Philippe-Chatrier to begin. While Loïs Boisson and Mirra Andreeva feathered their first forehands of the warm-up, the French crowd cleared their throats with a forceful rendition of La Marseillaise. The message was clear: no matter how the match unfolded, they would be there with the home player until the end.

All 15,000 of them were there to witness and encourage the extension of one of the most unexpected breakthrough runs in the history of tennis. Boisson, a French wildcard ranked No 361 and competing in her first French Open, continued her incredible journey through the draw by toppling the sixth seed Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.

Today she will face Coco Gauff, the American No 2 seed, who held her nerve after a difficult start to defeat the Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1.