France's Kouame, 17, youngest man into Slam third round since Nadal
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French teenager Moïse Kouamé etched his name into the history books on Thursday, becoming the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam third round since Rafael Nadal in 2003. The 17-year-old prodigy secured his place in the last 32 of the 2026 French Open after winning the longest match of the tournament so far.
Kouamé outlasted Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in a grueling five-set marathon on Court Suzanne Lenglen, finishing with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 [10-8].
The match, which lasted four hours and 56 minutes, saw the Frenchman recover from a 5-2 deficit in the final set, much to the delight of a rapturous home crowd. This historic victory follows his stunning first-round upset of former US Open champion Marin Čilić.
Ranked No. 318 entering the tournament, Kouamé is now the youngest French man in the Open era to reach the third round at Roland Garros.
His achievement mirrors the breakthrough of Rafael Nadal 23 years ago, signaling the arrival of a major new talent in world tennis. Kouamé will now face Alejandro Tabilo for a spot in the round of 16.
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