Have you ever watched a tennis match where a player has gotten frustrated with the opponent due to body fragrance? Sounds bizarre, right? But that’s exactly what happened in a WTA encounter at the Rouen Open on Tuesday. The first face-off between Frenchwoman Lois Boisson and British pro Harriet Dart took an unexpected turn when the latter made an unpleasing comment over Boisson’s odor. But the World No.62 has now had a change of heart following social media backlash. So, what exactly transpired between the two players on the court?

Boisson was up against Dart in the first round of the Rouen Open, and was in complete control. She took the first set with a double bagel (6-0) in just 28 minutes. But then something not related to tennis caught everyone’s attention. During the changeover, in the second set, Dart apparently walked toward the chair umpire and said, “Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad.”

Boisson wasn’t able to hear Dart’s words at that time. She wrapped up the match quickly, thrashing Dart in straight sets 6-0, 6-3 and advanced to the R16.

Hours after the match, Dart eventually realized that her conduct was completely unprofessional. Making an apology, she put an IG story and wrote, “I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret.” Continuing further, she added, “That’s not how I want to carry myself, and I take full responsibility. I have a lot of respect for Lois and how she competed today.” The 28-year-old also mentioned, “I’ll learn from this and move forward.”

Dart seemed completely out of touch in the match against Boisson, who outplayed her through and through. Although Dart managed to earn six break points, she couldn’t convert any of them. This was her second clay court appearance this season before next month’s French Open in Paris. Her first clay-court event was last month’s Charleston Open. There, she crashed out in the first round as well, after losing to Varvara Gracheva.

But here comes another interesting turn to this story. Just when everyone thought the incident was done and dusted, Boisson came up with a fitting response. Eventually, she got to know about the Brit’s comments. And her reply was hilariously apt to say the least.

After Harriet Dart’s ‘deodorant’ remarks, Lois Boisson shares a fitting response on social media

Lois Boisson already had the last laugh on the court, as she dominated Dart in the match. But she then decided to take a funny jab at her British opponent, as she came to know about her comment. On her Instagram account, Boisson shared a picture from the match, with a hilarious twist.

In the picture, she had a racket in one hand and a photoshopped stick of deodorant in the other! “@Dove apparently need a collab,” Boisson wrote with two laughing emojis. Isn’t it a fitting reply? Speaking more of the Frenchwoman’s first round match against Hart, it was her maiden WTA appearance of 2025. It was her comeback match after an injury layoff.

Boisson is currently ranked 303rd. Last year, she earned her best ranking of No.152. In 2024, she was also set to make her Grand Slam debut at the French Open as a wildcard, but unfortunately, she had to withdraw due to an ACL injury. Now that she’s begun her campaign on a winning note in Rouen, it will be intriguing to see if she makes a deep run in the tournament. Are you backing Boisson? Let us know in the comments below.