Moise Kouame, 17, beat Marin Cilic 7-6, 6-2, 6-1 in his Roland-Garros debut on Tuesday and moved into the second round. The French wildcard became the youngest player in the Open era to topple a major champion at Roland-Garros, and the youngest man to reach the second round in Paris since 1991.
Kouame on Court Simonne-Mathieu
The match unfolded on Court Simonne-Mathieu, where Kouame handled a former world No. 3 and finished with his first tour-level win on clay. It was only his second tour-level match win, and the result also gave him his first victory in three tries against a top-50 opponent.
Kouame said the atmosphere helped him at key moments. “Today … the entire crowd really helped on break points, at the end of the set.” He added, “As far as tennis level is concerned, I felt rather relaxed, rather serene.”
Gasquet and the Paris step
Richard Gasquet was part of the team that prepared Kouame for his first Grand Slam debut, and the 17-year-old entered Paris ranked world No. 318. He had already picked up experience in Miami, Monte-Carlo and Montpellier earlier in 2026, then backed it up against Cilic by staying in the moment and not leaning on the scoreboard.
That leaves Adolfo Daniel Vallejo next for a place in the third round. Kouame now carries a result that changes the shape of his tournament immediately: a debut win over a former major champion, and a route deeper into the draw that starts with the same calm he said carried him through the opener.
