Teenage prodigy Moise Kouame +66 in ATP Rankings as he makes history with Miami Open win

Ewan West 19 Mar 2026 6:03 PM

Moise Kouame celebrates

French prodigy Moise Kouame made history and ensured he will make a big jump in the ATP Rankings with his opening round victory at the 2026 Miami Open.

Kouame, who is competing as a wildcard in Miami, fought back to earn a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win against world No 96 Zachary Svajda at the Hard Rock Stadium in a contest lasting two hours and 17 minutes.

The 17-year-old, who is making his Masters 1000 debut, called for the physio after sealing the win having received treatment after the second set and during the third set.

The Frenchman, who turned 17 on March 6, is the youngest ATP player to win a match in the history of the Miami Open, and the first player born in 2009 or later to win an ATP Tour match.

Kouame is also the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 match since a 16-year-old Rafael Nadal at the 2003 Hamburg Masters.

Against Svajda, Kouame saved 10 of the 12 break points he faced and registered 30 winners to 32 unforced errors — including 11 aces and 11 double faults.

He will play world No 21 Jiri Lehecka in the second round in Miami.

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Speaking to ATPTour.com ahead of his debut in Miami, Kouame outlined his huge ambitions.

“My goal is to be world No 1 and win lots of Grand Slam [titles]. This is what I am training for,” Kouame said.

“Now it’s a dream, and I hope later it won’t be — but it will be real.”

He also revealed that his idol was 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.

“My idol was Novak Djokovic growing up. I was just so amazed when I was watching him play — his style and resilience was just unbelievable,” added the 17-year-old.

How has Kouame’s win affected his ATP ranking?

Kouame started the Miami Open at a career-high ranking of world No 385, and he has increased his points total to 151 with his opening round win.

This has seen Kouame soar 66 places to a new projected career-best position of 319th in the Live ATP Rankings.

If Kouame were to claim a huge upset against Lehecka in the second round, he would break into the top 300 for the first time and rise to a projected 291st place.