Young Gun Moïse Kouamé Rewrites History At Grand Slam Stage, Becomes The First In 17 Years To...

Last Updated:May 26, 2026, 18:07 IST

Moise Kouame, 17, stuns Marin Cilic at Roland Garros, becoming the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles match since 2009 in a composed display.

French teenage star Moïse Kouamé on Tuesday became the youngest man to win a singles match at a Grand Slam since 2009, after he beat Marin Cilic in straight sets in the opening round of the French Open.

Kouame won a thrilling tiebreaker in the opening set 7-4 and since then, Cilic was no match for the 17-year-old, who won the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 to move into the second round of the year’s second Major.

World No. 318 Kouame, born and raised in the French capital, became the first male player born in 2008 or later to contest a Grand Slam main-draw match. As per Infosys Stats, Kouame converted four of the seven break points he earned against big-serving 37-year-old Cilic.

Kouame delivered a composed performance under the scorching Paris sun in a match that featured the second-largest age gap in a men’s singles Grand Slam match this century, after Zachary Svajda, 16, versus Paolo Lorenzi, 37, at the 2019 US Open.

Kouame became the youngest man to win a main-draw match at the French Open since Dinu Pescariu in 1991 and the youngest at any Grand Slam since 16-year-old Bernard Tomic at the 2009 Australian Open.

Kouame showed great resilience to stay level with Cilic in the early stages, saving all three break points he faced in the opening set as the experienced Croatian tried to overpower him.

After edging the first set in a tie-break, Kouame carried the momentum forward to complete a dominant win against Cilic in two hours and 38 minutes.

Some of the shot-making produced by teenage sensation Kouame later in the match drew comparisons with the dazzling flair of longtime crowd favourite Gael Monfils. One standout moment came at 3-1 in the third set, when Kouame stretched to return a fierce forehand from Cilic before turning to acknowledge the roaring home crowd.

News sports tennis Young Gun Moïse Kouamé Rewrites History At Grand Slam Stage, Becomes The First In 17 Years To...

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