French Open: 17-year-old makes history, sticks head in cooler to escape heatwave

Teenager Moise Kouame became the youngest player since Rafael Nadal to reach the third round of the French Open on Thursday (May 28). The home star thrilled the Paris crowd with a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) win over Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.

Kouame battled in the sweltering Paris heat until the very end and finally won the marathon competition that lasted 4 hours and 56 minutes. Immediately after sealing the win, the teenager went straight to the court-side cooler and buried his head in it in a desperate attempt to cool down.

Playing on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Kouame came from 5-3 down in the fifth set to force a deciding tiebreak. He then rallied from 8-7 down in the breaker before sealing the match with a fine drop shot that Vallejo was able to reach, only to push it into the net.

French Open 2026 Day 5: Live Updates

After winning the final point, Kouame collapsed onto his back in disbelief. Standing up, he placed both hands on his head before slapping his chest and pointing to all corners of the crowd.

He later slumped into a chair with a towel over his head as fans at Roland Garros chanted, “Merci Moise, Merci Moise”. Before the on-court questioning began, Kouame convulsed and emptied a bottle of water over his head.

“This win is for you,” he told the crowd. “Thank you because without you, I honestly would never have won this match. I don’t think you even realize how much you carried me by the way you kept yelling at me. When I was down 5-3 in the fifth, I never stopped believing.”

Kouame wasn’t the only player dealing with the heat on Thursday. World number one Jannik Sinner was knocked out of the tournament by unseeded Juan Manuel Cerundolo earlier in the day. In the opening match on Center Court, Sinner struggled with dizziness and cramps after dominating the match until the very end of the third set.

The Italian, who was leading comfortably and seemingly on the brink of victory, suddenly lost speed after being forced to take a medical time-out due to heat-related problems. Cerundolo seized the opportunity brilliantly, extending the rally and forcing Sinner into difficult moves as the world number one visibly struggled physically.

The Argentine eventually completed a stunning comeback victory in five sets after a battle lasting 3 hours and 36 minutes.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

28 May 2026 21:36 IST