The Paraguayan led their decider 5-2, but Kouame used every ounce of the Court Suzanne Lenglen crowd to get back on level footing. Though Vallejo fought back from 1-6 down in the decisive tiebreak by reeling off six straight points, the French sensation would not be denied.
“When we started the tiebreak, I was just telling myself, ‘It’s a 10-point tiebreak,’” he recalled to Tennis Channel in an interview. “When I was 6-1, I was like, ‘Moise, even if you win this point, it’s not over! It’s not over!’ It was really difficult to accept. I’m very relieved.”
In clinching the 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8) victory, Kouame became the youngest man to reach the third round of the French Open since a 16-year-old Michael Chang in 1988. He’s also the youngest to advance to this stage in any Grand Slam event since Rafael Nadal at 2003 Wimbledon.
“For now, what is in mind is recover as much as possible for the next round. Of course, I’m happy with what I did,” he said of the achievements.
