On the Simonne-Mathieu court on the evening of May 26, Kouame defeated the veteran Croatian player with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 after 2 hours and 38 minutes of competition. Although only 17 years old and currently ranked 318th ATP, the French talent showed confidence and impressive form against an opponent who once reached 3rd place in the world.
In the first set, Kouame successfully saved all 3 break-points before winning in the tie-break. Stepping into the remaining two sets, the home player completely overwhelmed with powerful serves and flexible movement, making Marin Cilic unable to make a difference.
This victory helped Kouame become the first male player born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam match. He is also the youngest player to win a Roland Garros match since 1991 and the youngest person to win a Grand Slam main round since Bernard Tomic did the same at the 2009 Australian Open.
Not only impressing professionally, Moise Kouame also received enthusiastic cheers from home fans thanks to his energetic and impromptu playing style. Many experts assess that his playing style has many similarities with his compatriot senior Gael Monfils.
Before Roland Garros 2026, Kouame made remarkable progress in his career. Last March, he made a splash at the Miami Open when he came back to defeat Zachary Svajda in his first ATP Masters 1000 appearance. This achievement helped the French player become the youngest person in history to win a Masters 1000 tournament on hard courts.
From 876th ATP position at the beginning of the year, Kouame is making a strong step up in the world rankings. After impressive results at Roland Garros, the 17-year-old player is almost certain to enter the top 300 ATP, and at the same time rise to about 252th in the direct rankings.
In the second round, Moise Kouame will face the winner in the match between 20th seed Cameron Norrie and Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.
