Moise Kouame, the 17-year-old French wildcard, continued his remarkable debut at the French Open by advancing to the third round after a gruelling five-set victory over Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo on Thursday. The match, lasting nearly five hours, ended 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6 (10/8).
Historic Achievement
Kouame, ranked 313th in the world, has now become the youngest man to reach the third round of a grand slam since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003, and the youngest at Roland Garros since Michael Chang in 1988. His victory follows his first-round win over former US Open champion Marin Cilic, making him the youngest man to win a match at the French Open since 1991.
Match Highlights
Playing on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Kouame whipped the crowd into a frenzy after winning the second set by pointing to his ear and demanding more noise. However, Vallejo, 22, fought back to take the third and fourth sets as Kouame appeared to tire. In the deciding set, Kouame battled from a break down, displaying remarkable energy and shot-making to clinch the tiebreak 10-8.
Kouame will now face Chile's Alejandro Tabilo, the world No. 36, in the third round on Saturday. Tabilo advanced after his opponent, 16th seed Valentin Vacherot, withdrew due to a foot injury.
Rapid Rise
Kouame only made his tour-level debut in Montpellier in February and won his first tour-level match at the Miami Open in March, becoming the youngest man to win a Masters match since Nadal in 2003. He was given a wildcard into the French Open and has seized the opportunity, drawing comparisons to French tennis legends.
Coached by former top-10 player Richard Gasquet, Kouame has quickly become the new darling of French tennis. Reflecting on his win over Cilic, he said: "It's a lot of emotion, it's exceptional. Coming into this tournament, I didn't really know what to expect. The team and I worked hard to be as ready as possible."
With his latest victory, Kouame has not only made history but also signaled the arrival of a potential new star at Roland Garros.
