Moise Kouame became the youngest man to win a match at Roland Garros since 1991 as the teenage wildcard defeated former US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets on his first appearance at a grand slam tournament.
The 17-year-old Frenchman triumphed 7-6 6-1 6-1 against the veteran Cilic, 37 and is also the youngest man to win a grand slam match since a 16-year-old Bernard Tomic advanced to the second round of the 2009 Australian Open.
A night after French favourite Gael Monfils waved goodbye to Roland Garros at the age of 39, the tournament may have witnessed the arrival of a new star in the Paris-born Kouame - who is also coached by France’s Richard Gasquet, a former prodigy who reached a career-high No 7.
Kouame, ranked 313 in the world, won his first tour-level match at this season’s Miami Open, becoming the youngest man to win a Masters match since Rafael Nadal in 2003, after making his tour-level debut in Montpellier in February.
Kouame’s only other appearance in the main draw of an ATP tournament came on the clay in Monte Carlo in April, where the teenager also had a practice session with world No 1 Jannik Sinner before exiting in the first round.
He is now the youngest man to reach the second round of Roland Garros since Romania’s Dinu Pescariu in 1991, and the second youngest Frenchman to win a match at the French Open after a 16-year-old Thierry Tulasne in 1980.
“It’s a lot of emotion, it’s exceptional,” said Kouame, who was given one of the eight wildcard slots into the tournament . “Coming into this tournament, I didn’t really know what to expect. The team and I worked hard to be as ready as possible.
“All the experience I gained in Miami and Monte Carlo probably helped me a little. Technically, I felt pretty calm. I knew I was ready and I felt good mentally and physically.”
Cilic, a former French Open semi-finalist who is 20 years older than Kouame, was making his 18th appearance in the Roland Garros main draw. He won his only grand slam title at the 2014 US Open and also reached Wimbledon and Australian Open finals.
According to Opta, Kouame also becomes the youngest player in the Open ea to defeat a former grand slam champion at Roland Garros. He will play Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in the second round, following the early retirement of 20th seed Cameron Norrie.
