Moise Kouame continued to shock at Roland Garros 2026 by securing a place in the third round after a marathon match lasting nearly five hours against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.
The 17-year-old French player won 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(8), thus becoming the youngest male player to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon 2003.
In his Grand Slam debut, Kouame is writing his own fairytale on the clay courts of Paris. After eliminating former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the first round, the young French talent continued to electrify the Suzanne-Lenglen crowd with an emotional five-set match against Vallejo.
The drama intensified in the deciding set when Kouame fell behind 3-5 and faced the risk of elimination. However, the player born in 2009 did not give up.
After the match, he revealed that his inspiration came from Carlos Alcaraz and the spirit of "believing" (always believing).
"You know, last year I watched a final where Carlos Alcaraz saved three match points and he said that he never stopped believing and today, when I was down 5-3 in the fifth set, I never stopped believing, and that's thanks to him," Kouame shared.
It was that belief that helped the French tennis phenomenon stage a spectacular comeback against the world number 71 player. Kouame unleashed 67 winners, saving many difficult moments before closing out the match in a thrilling tie-break.
This victory also places Kouame among the five youngest players in the Open Era to reach the third round of Roland Garros, and propels him up 108 places to 210th in the ATP Live Rankings. In the next round, the 17-year-old will face Alejandro Tabilo.