'It’s normal they support her': Mirra Andreeva reacts to brutal French crowd after shock loss

Mirra Andreeva expressed her disappointment after a painful quarterfinal loss at Roland Garros, but did not want to blame the home fans for it. The teenager couldn’t live up to her favourite status and fell to surprising wildcard Lois Boisson, 6–7(6), 3–6, in a match marked by the Russian’s visible frustration with constant interruptions from the local crowd.

Andreeva entered as the heavy favourite against an unknown opponent. The world No. 6 had reached the French Open semifinals a year earlier and was in superb form this season. However, she struggled with frustration, squandered a couple of set points in the opening set, and ended up letting her shot at another Grand Slam semifinal slip away.

As has often been the case when local players feature at Roland Garros, the home crowd played a pivotal role in the Frenchwoman’s win. At times, Andreeva’s serve was interrupted, and the celebrations after Boisson’s points were deafening in the packed stadium.

Despite everything, Andreeva refused to blame the crowd when speaking in the post-match press conference. The Russian admitted nerves played a role but insisted she had expected the atmosphere to be intense on Court Philippe Chatrier: "It's normal that they would support a French player, so I knew that it's going to be like this.”

“I think that in the first set I managed it pretty well. I didn't really pay attention to that, but obviously with nerves and with pressure, it became a little harder. But, anyway, I think that I can learn from this."

Andreeva was a tournament favourite but says goodbye in the quarterfinals, closing out her clay swing. She couldn’t defend her semifinal points from last year and may lose ground in the rankings. For now, she remains world No. 6, but if Swiatek beats Sabalenka tomorrow, Andreeva will drop to No. 7.

As for Boisson, she continues her remarkable run, becoming the first French Open wildcard to reach the semifinals in 40 years. She’s guaranteed a spectacular jump in the rankings — from No. 361 to No. 65 in just over a week. Her next challenge: Coco Gauff, as the Frenchwoman chases what could be the most extraordinary story of the tournament.

Match Statistics Andreeva vs. Boisson