EXPLAINER

World no 318’s victory over Marin Cilic also made him the youngest man to claim a Grand Slam victory in 17 years.

Roland Garros might have witnessed the birth of a new tennis megastar this week when local teenager Moise Kouame took a historic victory at the French Open to become the youngest man to win a major main-draw match in 17 years.

Aged 17 years and two months, Kouame defeated former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6(4) 6-2 6-1, raising his arms and throwing his head back as the home crowd on Court Simonne-Mathieu applauded his feat.

The victory made him the youngest male player ⁠to win a singles Grand Slam match since Australia’s Bernard Tomic reached the 2009 Australian Open second round at the age of 16. Kouame is the youngest player to register a first-round win at the French Open since Dinu Pescariu of Romania in 1991.

He also became the first teenager to defeat a major champion in his debut Grand Slam main draw match since Marat Safin defeated Andre Agassi at Roland Garros in 1998.

Here’s everything to know about the rising teen sensation.

What is Moise Kouame’s personal background?

Born in 2009 in the Parisian suburb of Sarcelles, Kouame is of Ivorian-Cameroonian descent. His mother, who has “always made a big impact”, was his first coach and now manages his career.

Kouame began playing tennis aged six, inspired by his older brother, Michael, and trained at the National Tennis Centre in Poitiers. He is now coached by former world no 7 and fellow countryman Richard Gasquet, with reports suggesting that he added Laurent Raymond to his team earlier this year.

What is his playing style?

The 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 metres) tall Frenchman has a strong serve and forehand and enjoys playing on every surface, which aligns with his nickname “KTT” –  which translates to “Kouame every surface”.

Was the French Open first round his biggest career win?

Yes, unless he wins his second-round matchup at Roland Garros against Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo on Thursday.

The Frenchman has won three ITF titles – the third tier of professional tennis – and received several wildcards on the main circuit, including at the 2026 Monte-Carlo ‌Masters and Miami Open, where he defeated Zachary Svajda of the US to become the youngest match winner in the event’s history.

What did Kouame have to say about his historic victory?

“It’s a lot of emotion, it’s exceptional,” Kouame said. “Coming into this tournament, I didn’t really know what to ⁠expect. The team and I worked hard to be as ready ⁠as possible.”

The teenager cited his experience in Miami and Monte-Carlo as helping him in Tuesday’s win. “Technically, I felt pretty calm. I knew I was ready and I felt good mentally and physically.”

In a post on Instagram, Kouame thanked all those who have been part of his journey, adding that the win on home soil made it even more special.

The teen also brushed aside the age factor against Cilic, who is 20 years his senior. “I didn’t care about his age. I just wanted to give him shots that were as complicated to play as possible.

“So for some, the age factor may play a role, but as far as I’m concerned, I tried to focus, not to think about it, because in the end, when you’re on court, you don’t think about your age or what you’re going to eat. You think about what you have to do to win.”

What’s next for the 17-year-old?

While Kouame may not have expected his second French Open singles match against Vallejo, he played the men’s doubles with Giovanni Mpetshi Perrica against US duo Robert Cash and James Tracy, who defeated the Frenchmen 6-4 1-6 6-4.

Kouame and current French no 2 Elsa Jacquemot will pair up for the mixed doubles against Christian Harrison of the US and Hungary’s Fanny Stollar.