Seventeen-year-old French wildcard Moïse Kouamé advances at the French Open after two landmark wins. He first becomes the youngest men’s singles Grand Slam match winner in 17 years by beating former US Open champion Marin Cilic, putting him among the youngest players to win a match at Roland Garros since 1991. Sources also describe Kouamé as starting his debut main-draw campaign with a strong performance against Cilic, winning in straight sets.
On Thursday, Kouamé reaches the third round with another hard-fought result, defeating Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in a five-set match that lasts four hours and 56 minutes. He survives Vallejo’s comeback from a two-sets-to-one deficit, then closes the match in the deciding tiebreak. Multiple outlets note the context of a major comeback win on Court Suzanne Lenglen and emphasize the record element: Kouamé is reported as the youngest man to reach the French Open third round since Rafael Nadal, who did so 23 years earlier. Kouamé’s performances are characterized as confirming significant early promise at the tournament.
