French Open 2026: Teenager Moise Kouame Delights Home Crowd By Reaching Third Round

Paris: French teenager Moise Kouame thrilled home fans by reaching the third round of the French Open after beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) on Thursday.

The 17-year-old Kouame held firm in a contest lasting just under five hours on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne-Lenglen. He clawed back from 5-3 down in the fifth set to force a decisive tiebreaker, and rallied again from 8-7 down in the tiebreaker.

He won with a drop shot that his Paraguayan opponent got his racket to but could only pat into the net.

Kouame dropped onto his back and, when he got back up, put both hands on his head in disbelief. Then he thumped his chest and pointed to all sides of the crowd. The No. 318-ranked Kouame was overcome with emotion.

He slumped back in his chair with a towel on his head as joyful fans chanted "Merci Moise, Merci Moise," at Roland Garros.

Before his on-court speech, Kouame bent over with cramps and emptied a water bottle over his head.

"This win is for you," he told the crowd. "Thank you because without you, honestly, I would never have won this match. I don't think you don't even realize how much you carried me with the way you kept shouting for me. When I found myself 5-3 down in the fifth, I never stopped believing."

Kouame next faces Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.

Rising starKouame beat Marin Cilic in straight sets in the first round on Tuesday and became the first man born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam match.

Cilic won the 2014 U.S. Open, was runner-up at two other majors, and reached the French Open semifinals in 2022. Cilic said after his defeat that he was impressed with Kouame's ability to stay focused at key points in their match.

In March, Kouame was the youngest match winner in Miami Masters history in the first round, earning a congratulatory message from 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.