17-year-old Moises Kouame became the youngest winner of a Grand Slam match with his victory over Marin Cilic at the French Open.
Published May 26, 2026
French teenager Moises Kouame became the youngest player to win a major main draw match in 17 years, defeating former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 at the French Open.
The 17-year-old French teen, who was given a wildcard by the organizers, showed no signs of faltering in Tuesday’s first round match against Cote-Simonne Mathieu, making his Grand Slam debut against the former world number three, who is 20 years his senior.
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Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and 2022 Roland Garros semi-finalist, arrived in Paris ranked 46th in the world, but lost out to the fearless teenager, whose speedy defense and deft drop shot drew repeated applause from the crowd.
Kouame, ranked 318th, fought off two set points to take control of the match before surviving a tense first set with a tiebreak.
“It wasn’t easy. I always try to stay in the present moment and not think too much about the score. I was able to do that really well today,” said Kouame on the court.
Kouame did not allow a service break throughout the match and won in straight sets.
At 17 years and two months old, Kouame became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam match since Australia’s Bernard Tomic reached the second round of the Australian Open at the age of 16.
He is also the youngest player to get past the first round at Roland Garros since Romania’s Dinu Pescariu achieved the feat in 1991 at the age of 17 years and one month.
“It’s a lot of emotions and it’s extraordinary,” Kouame said. “Coming into this tournament, I had no idea what to expect. My team and I worked hard to be as prepared as possible.”
The teenager, coached by former French player Richard Gasquet, claimed only the second major tour win of his career after winning his first at the Miami Masters in March.
He will next face Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who advanced after 20th seed Cameron Norrie withdrew due to injury.
Kouame’s breakthrough performance capped off his rapid growth this season.
The Frenchman won the ITF title, the third tier of professional tennis, three times and earned several wildcards on the main circuit, including the Miami Masters and the Monte Carlo Masters.
“All the experience I got in Miami and Monte Carlo probably helped me a little bit,” Kouame told reporters. “Technically I was pretty calm. I felt prepared and felt good mentally and physically.”
