PARIS (AP) — French teenager Moïse Kouamé thrilled home fans by reaching the third round of the French Open after beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) on Thursday.
The 17-year-old Kouamé held firm in a contest lasting just under five hours on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne-Lenglen. He clawed back from 5-3 down in the fifth set to force a decisive tiebreaker, and rallied again from 8-7 down in the tiebreaker.
He won with a drop shot that his Paraguayan opponent got his racket to but could only pat into the net.
Kouamé dropped onto his back and, when he got back up, put both hands on his head in disbelief. Then he thumped his chest and pointed to all sides of the crowd. The No. 318-ranked Kouamé was overcome with emotion.
He slumped back in his chair with a towel on his head as joyful fans chanted “Merci Moïse, Merci Moïse,” at Roland Garros.
Before his on-court speech, Kouamé bent over with cramps and emptied a water bottle over his head.
“This win is for you," he told the crowd. "Thank you because without you, honestly, I would never have won this match. I don't think you don't even realize how much you carried me with the way you kept shouting for me. When I found myself 5-3 down in the fifth, I never stopped believing.”
Kouamé next faces Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Rising star
Kouamé beat Marin Cilic in straight sets in the first round on Tuesday and became the first man born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam match.
Cilic won the 2014 U.S. Open, was runner-up at two other majors, and reached the French Open semifinals in 2022. Cilic said after his defeat that he was impressed with Kouamé’s ability to stay focused at key points in their match.
In March, Kouamé was the youngest match winner in Miami Masters history in the first round, earning a congratulatory message from 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.
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