Who is Moise Kouame? 17-year-old French prodigy +108 in ATP Rankings amid Roland Garros run

Moise Kouame has been one of the stories of the 2026 French Open so far, but how much do you know about the 17-year-old French wildcard?

In his second round match at Roland Garros on Thursday, Kouame downed world No 71 Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(8) on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in his first-ever five-set match.

In a contest lasting just short of five hours, Kouame battled back from 5-2 down in the fifth set before prevailing in a dramatic tiebreak.

This came after Kouame stunned 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-1 in the first round in his first Grand Slam match.

With his two wins in Paris, Kouame has made a 108-place jump from 318th to a projected new career-high ranking of world No 210 in the Live ATP Rankings.

Who is Moise Kouame?

Kouame was born in Sarcelles, a suburb of Paris, on 6 March 2009.

According to his bio on the ATP Tour website, Kouame started playing tennis at the age of six, and his mother Suzanne Nsemba has “always made a big impact” on his career.

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He has three older sisters and an older brother, Michael, who plays college tennis.

After training at France’s National Tennis Centre in Poitiers, Kouame joined the Justine Henin Academy in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, when he was 13. He has also trained at Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy in Biot.

Kouame has revealed that 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was his idol growing up.

“I was just so amazed when I was watching him play — his style and resilience was just unbelievable,” Kouame told ATPTour.com in March.

Kouame is coached by Richard Gasquet, a former world No 7 and French tennis great, as well as Liam Smith.

Moise Kouame’s career to date

Kouame amassed a 74-38 record on the ITF junior circuit and achieved a career-high combined junior ranking of 14th in March 2025.

The Frenchman made his professional debut in October 2024 and reached his first final at ITF level in March 2025. He won his maiden ITF title in January 2026 and has since secured two more titles at this level.

Kouame made his ATP main draw debut at the 250 event in Montpellier in February after qualifying as a wildcard. He then made his first Challenger Tour semi-final in Lille later that month.

At the Miami Open in March, Kouame — who was playing as a wildcard — defeated Zachary Svajda in the first round on his Masters 1000 debut.

What have tennis experts said about Moise Kouame?

Former top five ATP players Henri Leconte and Tim Henman discussed Kouame after his second round win at Roland Garros.

Leconte:

“It was just a magnificent win. I mean, after four hours and 56 minutes, but he really deserved it. I’m very surprised for him at just the age of 17, incredible performance. And also, I was very surprised, because he really played like someone who already played so many matches, in a Grand Slam, and in five sets. So, I mean, it’s just very, very impressive. We need someone like him. After losing Sinner, I mean, we need an opportunity and something special. He has nothing to lose. Nothing to prove.”

Henman:

“So young, so inexperienced. And when you’ve seen Sinner struggling, you know, he’s just been out there for nearly five hours. The quality of tennis, the crowd, I think, played in an enormous part, but to find a way to get over the line, in that fifth set tiebreak… It was just really, the quality of his play is exceptional, but his mentality, to be out there performing on the second biggest court here at Roland Garros, and to deal with the adversity, pressure and the expectation from the crowd. I mean, he’s got it all, and, you know, you have to reiterate because, physically, he’s so good. I mean, he doesn’t look 17. He’s so strong, he’s so athletic, but he’s so inexperienced. He’s so raw. This is his debut!”

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