– Can you ask her to use deodorant? She smells really bad.
That’s what British player Harriet Dart said to the referee during a match against Loïs Boisson in the WTA250 tournament in Rouen in April.
The mildly startling news went around the world. Now Boisson is about to go around the world again. This time for much more sporting reasons.
CLEAR MESSAGE: Harriet Dart was not happy with the smell of Loïs Boisson.
– Witness the birth of a star
In this year’s Roland-Garros, also known as the French Open, she has made it all the way to the semifinals, which will be played later on Thursday.
On her way there, she has defeated Jessica Pegula and world number six Mirra Andreeva, among others. In the semifinals, she will face world number one Coco Gauff.
– It’s a unique achievement. No one had predicted or talked about her beforehand. No one knew her name, I think, says tennis expert and commentator Christer Francke to NRK.
The 22-year-old received an invitation to participate in the tournament, her first Grand Slam tournament of her career, and was ranked number 361 in the world when the tournament started.
With a place in the semi-finals, she has also earned 780,000 euros, around 9 million Norwegian kroner, more than five times as much money as she has earned earlier in her career.
– We are witnessing the birth of a star, said Chris Evert, who has won 18 Grand Slam titles en route to the quarterfinals, according to ESPN.
Audience Hero: Loïs Boisson has become very popular in Paris.
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Audience Hero: Loïs Boisson has become very popular in Paris.
– She can win the whole tournament. One thought it would be a stoppage and that she was satisfied with going to the fourth round and quarterfinals. Gauff has been a bit inconsistent. If she is not satisfied and has faith, then she can beat Gauff, says Francke.
The tennis expert highlights Dutchman Martin Verkerk, who was ranked number 46 when he reached the final of Roland-Garros in 2003, as the only similar player he can remember from the French grand slam.
– No one had ever heard of him, says Francke.
– What impresses you most about Boisson?
– What impresses you most about Boisson?
– It’s the physics. The movement, the strength and the fact that she mentally manages to recover and save set points. She wins against players who are much higher ranked and have greater achievements. That’s what is perhaps most impressive, says Francke.
Got an apology
But back to this deodorant message.
– It’s quite special. I’ve never heard of someone being told they smell before. People do strange things and get blamed for this and that, but smell? No, says Francke, shaking his head.
Dart later apologized for the comment and apologized to Boisson.
– It was a comment made when things were at their worst, which I truly regret, Dart wrote on Instagram afterwards.
Frenchwoman Boisson also managed to take the situation with a smile. After the match against Dart, she posted a photo on Instagram of herself with a deodorant edited in.
– Apparently we need a collaboration, she wrote and tagged a deodorant manufacturer.
Now Boisson can become the first French winner in the singles class at Roland-Garros since Mary Pierce won in 2000. She can at least count on the support of the audience in Paris.
– It’s a dream. I want to go for the dream, because it’s my dream to win, not to get to a semifinal. So I’ll do my best to make it, Boisson said after the victory on Wednesday.