17-year-old impresses
Kouame is the youngest match winner in Paris since 1991!
Moise Kouame had already announced his arrival with his first-round victory at the Miami Masters as a 16-year-old, and he went one better in his Grand Slam debut. The now 17-year-old defeated Marin Cilic 7-6, 6-2, 6-1 and became the youngest player to reach the second round of the French Open since Dinu Pescariu (Romania) in 1991.
When Moise Kouame was born in 2009, Marin Cilic was already ranked in the world’s top 15. On Tuesday, the two players—separated by a 20-year age gap—faced off on Simonne Mathieu Court. With this victory, Kouame effectively took over France’s Grand Slam hopes for the future just one day after Gael Monfils retired.
And the young man with Ivorian and Cameroonian roots immediately gave a taste of his talent. He is not one to score points with powerful shots, but instead plays with great consistency from both sides. He is someone who doesn’t just hit the ball, but also plays with intelligence at a young age and, above all, possesses excellent footwork.
in the first set after 73 minutesHe thus withstood Cilic’s powerful groundstrokes and forced the Croatian into a tiebreak, even though the Croatian had set the tone in the first set. Kouame also showed courage in the tiebreak. At decisive moments, he went for winners and took the tiebreak 7-4 after a total of 73 minutes.
Afterward, Kouame—who had spoken of the tournament as a “privilege” before it began—seemed even more liberated. Much to the delight of coach Richard Gasquet, who had been the last younger Frenchman in the main draw in Paris, he played brilliantly and dominated the second and third sets against the veteran. After 2 hours and 38 minutes, Kouame became the youngest player to win a match since Bernard Tomic at the 2009 Australian Open. At the French Open, he is even the youngest since Dinu Pescariu in 1991.
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