Who is Moise Kouame? Wildcard makes more French Open history after victory over grand slam champion

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With the French Open crowd chanting his name and the teenage wildcard leading their ferocious roars, the sensational Moise Kouame made more history as he advanced to the third round on his first appearance at a grand slam tournament in a remarkable five-set win.

The 17-year-old Frenchman, who became the youngest man to win a match at Roland Garros since 1991 when he defeated former grand slam champion Marin Cilic in the first round, is now the youngest man to reach the third round of a grand slam since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003.

Kouame, ranked 313 in the world, secured just the third tour-level victory of his career on Thursday, and did so the hard way as he defeated Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in a five-set epic lasting nearly five hours 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6 (10/8).

Somehow, in by far the longest match of his life and first five-setter, Kouame produced an astonishing surge of energy to get over the line.

Kouame whipped the crowd into a frenzy during his astonishing win to reach the third round (Reuters)

Kouame is also the youngest man to reach the third round of the French Open since Michael Chang in 1988; Chang is the youngest man in history to win a grand slam singles title, having done so at the 1989 French Open at 17.

The Paris-born Kouame made his Roland Garros debut the day after French favourite Gael Monfils waved goodbye to the tournament at the age of 39. Now, the French Open may be witnessing the arrival of a new star in Kouame, who is coached by France’s Richard Gasquet, a former prodigy who reached a career-high No 7.

He played into the excitement generated by first-round win over Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, by demanding more from the packed Court Suzanne-Lenglen crowd. Having been scheduled to play on the tournament’s second-biggest court, Kouame whipped the crowd into a frenzy by pointing to his ear and asking for more after winning the second set.

The 22-year-old Vallejo, who was also bidding to make the third round for the first time, responded to win the third and fourth sets, as Kouame appeared to fade physically. But the Frenchman battled from a break down in the decider, leaping around the court to extend the points and produce show-stopping shots from all angles in the biggest moments.

Kouame will now play Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, the world No 36, in the third round on Saturday. Tabilo advanced to the third round of the French Open for the first time when Valentin Vacherot, the Shanghai champion and 16th seed, withdrew due to a foot injury, in what is an open section of the Roland Garros draw.

From tour debut to French Open breakthrough in three months

Moise Kouame became the youngest man to win a match at Roland Garros since 1991 as the teenage wildcard defeated former US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets on his first appearance at a grand slam tournament.

Kouame triumphed 7-6 6-1 6-1 against the veteran Cilic, 37. With his win, Kouame also became the youngest man to win a grand slam match since a 16-year-old Bernard Tomic advanced to the second round of the 2009 Australian Open.

Kouame only made tour-level debut in Montpellier in February. He won his first tour-level match at this season’s Miami Open, becoming the youngest man to win a Masters match since Rafael Nadal in 2003.

Before the French Open, Kouame’s only other appearance in the main draw of an ATP tournament came on the clay in Monte Carlo in April, where the teenager also had a practice session with world No 1 Jannik Sinner before exiting in the first round.

He was given one of the eight wildcard slots into the French Open and with his win over Cilic became the youngest man to reach the second round of Roland Garros since Romania’s Dinu Pescariu in 1991, and the second youngest Frenchman to win a match at the French Open after a 16-year-old Thierry Tulasne in 1980.

Kouame triumphed in the blazing Paris heat, beating Cilic in straight sets to reach the second round (Reuters)

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

“All ​the experience I gained in Miami and Monte ‌Carlo probably helped me a little. Technically, I felt pretty calm. I knew I was ready and I felt good mentally and physically.”

Cilic, a former French Open semi-finalist who is 20 years older than Kouame, was making his 18th appearance in the Roland Garros main draw. He won his only grand slam title at the 2014 US Open and also reached Wimbledon and Australian Open finals.

According to Opta, Kouame also became the youngest player in the Open era to defeat a former grand slam champion at Roland Garros.