Moise Kouame has delivered one of the most captivating stories at Roland Garros so far.
At just 17 years and 83 days, Kouame became the second-youngest player in the Open Era to reach his maiden Grand Slam third round, older than only Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003 (17 years, 20 days).
The French teenager also became the fifth youngest player to reach the men’s singles third round at Roland Garros.
Kouame is placed in the top half of the draw at Roland Garros, which has been blown wide open since Jannik Sinner’s exit from the tournament.
Who comes through the top half of the draw to reach the Roland Garros final?
Sinner's exit has blown the draw wide open…
He has shown a lot of promise, but Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, says fans need to be careful with the hype surrounding the young star.
Patrick Mouratoglou discusses 17-year-old Moise Kouame
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “No, we don’t need to talk too much about Moise Kouame.
“I think he deserves a lot of attention because he’s amazing. Do we need to leave him alone? Yes, a little bit.
“He’s only 17, he’s already around 300 in the world. This player has huge potential. But having potential and being a champion are two different things.
“There is a long way in between, and if we speak too much about those guys, put too much pressure on them at that age, it can affect their future.
How concerned are you about Jannik Sinner’s physical issues going forward in his career?
“He said, my life is no birthdays, no parties, no weekends. I’m missing a lot of things, but it’s the life I’ve chosen.
“People always want tennis players to have a normal life. It is not a normal life, it will never be a normal life.
“You’re travelling all year long, not having a normal childhood. But on the other hand, you’re building something very strong. So, I think he’s right. Life is dedicated to your passion and your sports.”
Moise Kouame’s potential path to the Roland Garros final
The youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam title is Michael Chang, who clinched the 1989 French Open title at 17 years and 109 days old.
Kouame now has the chance to break Chang’s record, and his potential path to the final is not as difficult as it initially may have looked prior to the start of the tournament.
A wildcard at the event, Kouame will take on Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of Roland Garros on Saturday.
Should he advance past the Chilean, he will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Brandon Nakashima in round four.
Potential quarterfinal opponents come in the form of Flavio Cobolli, Learner Tien, Francisco Cerundolo and Zachary Svajda.
As per seeding, Kouame’s semifinal opponent is projected to be Frances Tiafoe.
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