Moise Kouame is making a splash as the new kid on the block. Earlier this week, the 16-year-old broke through qualifying to make his main-draw debut at the Open Occitanie in Montpellier. While he fell in the first round to eighth seed and last year’s finalist Aleksandar Kovacevic, the newcomer raised some eyebrows with his performance.
Check out a few fast facts about the French teenager.
Making history in Montpellier
On Monday, Kouame became the sixth-youngest man to qualify for an ATP Tour event since 2000, joining a group that includes Rafael Nadal. A wild card in the qualifying draw, Kouame pushed through deciding sets in both of his qualifying matches, overcoming Elias Ymer, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, in the opening round before coming out with a win against Clement Chidekh, 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-3.
Climbing the ranks
It’s been all uphill for Kouame since the start of the year. He began 2025 at world No. 833, but has since skyrocketed nearly 300 places to reach his current ranking of No. 552. The youngest player in the Top 1,000, according to ATP, Kouame ended January with two ITF World Tennis Tour titles on home soil in France. He’s also the first player born in 2009 to win a professional singles title.
Full speed ahead
When he’s not revving up his game on the court, Kouame reportedly kicks back to watch some of his favorite F1 drivers. Per ATP, Kouame would love to be an F1 driver, and he regularly supports Red Bull Racing’s F1 team. While time will tell if his F1 career takes off, his early days on the ATP Tour appear to be right on track.
