Jessica Pegula’s Shocking French Open Exit Pushes Naomi Osaka’s Coach to Spill French WTA Icon’s Secrets

Jessica Pegula just got ousted at the French Open. The 31-year-old came into the tournament strong. She hadn’t dropped a set until her third-round clash with 2023 Wimbledon champion and former Roland Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova. But Pegula’s fiery energy was too much— she took the win! Still, while she aimed to keep that momentum, the American couldn’t make her second quarterfinal at Roland Garros. In a colossal upset, 361st-ranked Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old French wildcard and Grand Slam main-draw debutant, stunned the third seed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday, June 2. But how did she do it? Patrick Mouratoglou might have the answer.

Taking to his Instagram on June 3, the coach shared his thoughts on what propelled the wildcard to victory. He had three reasons: “Number one, because she’s French in Roland Garros with no expectations. Because of her ranking. When you’re No. 361 in the world, there is no pressure on you at Roland Garros. Nobody expects you to do well. So, she has only the positive things by being French at the French Open.”

Compared to the 31-year-old Pegula, the pressure was undoubtedly lower for the 22-year-old. Pegula, a US Open finalist and current World No. 3, has worked hard to keep her momentum this season, winning two WTA titles. But her clay results have disappointed — she didn’t reach a semifinal in any of her last four tournaments (Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome, and Strasbourg). Mouratoglou points out another reason.

“Reason Number Two, Lois has the perfect game for clay.” What does he mean? He explained, “She moves around her backhand because the forehand is amazing and she has more time. Second, she plays with a lot of spin, and her forehand topspin is deadly. Ideal for clay.”

But Pegula is no stranger to clay. While she’s known for her strong hard-court game, Pegula has become a solid clay-court player. Her clay record stands at 132 wins and 81 losses—a 61.97% win rate. She even reached the French Open quarterfinals in 2022, proving her improvement on the surface. Still, Mouratoglou believes there’s another reason Boisson prevailed.

He added, “Three, she showed mental strength and ability to change tactics during a match, and that’s why she won this match against Pegula, because in the first set she was playing flatter and she got killed. I couldn’t see any way she would win the match that way.” It’s true.

Initially overwhelmed in the first set, the French player secured a vital break in the second with an impressive backhand winner. After holding serve, Boisson took an early lead in the third set. Pegula responded, but at 4-4, Boisson broke again and sealed the win, saving break points with a mix of finesse and power.

It seems Jessica Pegula was outplayed by a relaxed mindset. But she mentioned another factor she believes might have helped the home player win. What is it?

Jessica Pegula gets candid about the crowd at Roland Garros

Jessica Pegula opened up after her quarterfinal loss, praising the electric Paris crowd. “It was a really good atmosphere,” she shared. “I felt like the crowd was really good. They were being supportive but I felt respectful at the same time so it was a really nice atmosphere. I think it definitely helped her pull through at certain points which were really tough there. I guess I am disappointed with the result but it is what it is.” The rookie had to fight off four breakpoints as she served for the match, with the crowd chanting and cheering her on. Pegula later admitted the fans in Paris shifted the momentum as the match wore on.

Pegula’s 2025 season started hot. She reached the Adelaide Open final, then claimed her first title of the year at the ATX Open. She kept the momentum going, making the Miami final and winning Charleston. But the clay season was rough—she made early exits in Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome, and Strasbourg before arriving at Roland Garros.

Despite the ups and downs, her serve has been a weapon. She’s racked up 84 aces to 82 double faults and won 73.8% of her service games. Her break point conversion rate is a solid 45.5%. Still, those double faults have sometimes crept in at the wrong moments.

Reflecting on the match, she added, “I think once the match got going, at the beginning it wasn’t that much. But at the end of the second and the third it was full stands and for her. It was a great atmosphere. Then like I said I did not feel they were being disrespectful at all. I felt like it was a really fun and good atmosphere. Obviously for her but at the same time it was great, I thought it was really nice.”

Now she’s eyeing the grass court season. She made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon back in 2023. Maybe this year, she’ll make another deep run—what do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!