French Open: Moise Kouame, 17, becomes youngest man to win match at event in over 3 decades

With the accomplishment, Kouame became the youngest man to reach the second round of the French Open since Dinu Pescariu pulled off the feat in 1991 at 17. If you expand Kouame’s accomplishment to include all Grand Slams, he’s the youngest man to advance to the second round in a Grand Slam since 2009, when 16-year-old Bernard Tomic made it to the second round of the Australian Open.

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Both Pescariu and Tomic couldn’t keep up that momentum, losing in the second rounds of those events.

Kouame, who was born in France in 2009, previously competed in the qualifying round at the 2025 French Open, but failed to earn a spot. He was awarded a wild card at the event in 2026, and has already made waves with his first Grand Slam win.

Dispatching Čilić is no small feat. In addition to winning the 2014 US Open, Čilić has reached the finals at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon during his career. He’s made it as far as the semifinals at the French Open in the past.

With the victory, Kouame will advance to the second round of the French Open, where he’ll take on the winner of Adolfo Daniel Vallejo who beat Cameron Norrie in a 7-6, 2-0 walkover.