French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson capped a remarkable summer surge by clinching her first WTA tour-level title at the Hamburg Open on Sunday, defeating Hungary’s Anna Bondar 7-5, 6-3 in a final between two first-time singles finalists.
The 22-year-old Frenchwoman, seeded fifth, showed impressive grit as she rallied from 0-4 down in the opening set and overcame a break deficit in both sets to claim the WTA 250 clay-court crown.
Boisson, who stunned the tennis world last month by reaching the semi-finals of the French Open as a wild card ranked 361st, displayed the same tenacity and composure that earned her a breakout Grand Slam run before falling to eventual champion Coco Gauff in Paris.
“This is the first time I’ve given a winner’s speech, so please bear with me,” she said with a smile during the trophy ceremony, before simply adding, “Danke” to thank the German crowd.
After a first-round qualifying exit at Wimbledon, Boisson has once again found her rhythm on her favoured clay surface. Her triumph in Hamburg is expected to push her above her career-best ranking of No. 63 when the updated WTA rankings are released on Monday.
With her first title in hand and momentum firmly behind her, Boisson has announced herself as a rising force on the WTA Tour.