What happened to Harriet Dart and Lois Boisson at Open De Rouen? All you need to know about bizarre deodorant feud

Modified Apr 16, 2025 02:56 GMT

Harriet Dart ignited a stranger feud with Lois Boisson at the Open de Rouen 2025. (Photos: Getty)

Harriet Dart and Lois Boisson are in the running for one of the most strange feuds in recent times. The two locked horns in the first round of the Open de Rouen 2025, a WTA 250 tournament on Tuesday, April 15. The Brit was outclassed by her opponent 6-0, 6-3. However, the lopsided scoreline was overshadowed by something else.

During a change of ends during the match, Dart went up to the chair umpire and asked if her opponent could perhaps spray on some deodorant. Her comment was audible enough to be picked on by the on-court mics, which naturally kicked up a storm on social media.

Dart was criticized heavily for her comment and she took to social media to apologize for the same. She took responsibility for her actions and truly regretted her conduct. She vowed to act better going forward.

"Hey everyone, I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret. 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. I’ll learn from this and move forward," Dart's apology on Instagram.

Screenshot of Harriet Dart's apology. (Source: Instagram - Harriet Dart)

Boisson, on the other hand, took all of this in her stride. She even made light of the situation by posting a photo of herself with a Dove deodorant, asking the brand for a sponsorship in a joking manner.

"Apparently need a collab" Boisson's response to Dart's comments.

Screenshot of Lois Boisson's story. (Source: Instagram - Lois Boisson)

Boisson clearly wasn't too bothered by Dart's comments. Regardless of her actual feelings, she will be keen to put his weird incident behind her and focus on her next match. Dart, meanwhile, will rue this match as a missed opportunity to end her losing streak.

Harriet Dart slumps to her fourth consecutive loss at the main draw level in Rouen

Harriet Dart at the Billie Jean King Cup 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Harriet Dart's first-round loss to Lois Boisson in Rouen marked her fourth-consecutive defeat at the WTA main draw level. She hasn't won a match since losing to Donna Vekic in the second round of the Australian Open.

Dart did reach the final of a W75 tournament in Porto last month, going down to rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. Given her recent slump, she is now close to dropping outside of the top 120 of the WTA rankings.

Dart will now aim to qualify for the Madrid Open, which will get underway from next week. She came through the qualifying rounds last year in the Spanish capital but lost to Cristina Bucsa in the first round.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit