explainer
With his victory over world No. 318 Marin Cilic, he became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam title in 17 years.
Published May 27, 2026
Roland Garros may have witnessed the birth of another tennis megastar this week when local teenager Moise Kouame achieved a historic victory at Roland Garros, becoming the youngest player to win a major main draw in 17 years.
Kouame, 17 years and two months old, 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.
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With this victory, he became the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam singles match since Australia’s Bernard Tomic reached the second round of the Australian Open at the age of 16. Kouame is the youngest player to record a first-round victory at Roland Garros since Romania’s Dinu Pescaliu in 1991.
He also became the first teenager to defeat a major champion in his Grand Slam main draw debut since Marat Safin defeated Andre Agassi at Roland Garros in 1998.
Here’s everything you need to know about the rising teen sensation.
What is Moise Kouame’s background?
Born in 2009 in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, Kouame is of Ivorian-Cameroonian descent. His mother, who has “always been a huge influence”, was his first coach and now manages his career.
Kouame started playing tennis at the age of six under the influence of his older brother Michael, and trained at the National Tennis Center in Poitiers. He is currently managed by former world number seven and compatriot Richard Gasquet, and there are reports that he added Laurent Raymond to his squad earlier this year.
what is his playing style?
The 6ft 3in (1.91m) French player has a powerful serve and forehand and enjoys playing on all surfaces. This matches his nickname “KTT” which means “light rain on every surface”.
Was the French Open first round the biggest victory of his career?
Yes, unless he wins his second-round match against Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo at Roland Garros on Thursday.
The Frenchman has won the ITF title, the third tier of professional tennis, three times and has earned several wildcards on the main circuit, including the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters and Miami Open, where he defeated American Zachary Sweida to become the youngest winner in the tournament’s history.
What did Kouame say about the historic victory?
“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 cited his experience in Miami and Monte Carlo as contributing to Tuesday’s victory. “Technically I was pretty calm. I felt prepared and felt good mentally and physically.”
In an Instagram post, Kouame thanked everyone who has been a part of his journey, adding that winning in his home country made it even more special.
The teenager also ignored the age factor against Cilic, who is 20 years his senior. “I didn’t care about his age. I just wanted to give him as many complex shots as possible.”
“So for some people, the age factor might come into play. But as far as I’m concerned, I tried to focus and not think about it. At the end of the day, when you’re on the court, you don’t think about your age or what you eat. You think about what you have to do to win.”
What’s next after 17?
Kouame may not have expected to play Vallejo in his second singles match at Roland Garros, but in the men’s doubles he played Giovanni Mpesi Perika and Americans Robert Cash and James Treacy, defeating the Frenchman 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Kouame and France’s current No. 2 Elsa Jacquemo will be paired with American Christian Harrison and Hungary’s Fanny Stoller in mixed doubles.
