Looks like we have another rising force to watch on the ATP Tour!
Seventeen-year-old French wild card Moise Kouame made history in his Masters 1000 main draw debut in Miami.
The world No. 385 defeated Zachary Swajda to become the youngest Masters 1,000 winner since Rafael Nadal in 2003 and the youngest ever to win a tournament in Miami.
Since the Masters series began in 1990, only three other players – Richard Gasquet, Rafael Nadal (four times) and Dinu Pescariu – have won 1,000 Masters matches younger than Kouame.
| No. | player | age | event | round | opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Gasquet | 15 | 2002 Monte Carlo | 1R | Franco Squalari |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal | 16 | 2003 Monte Carlo | 1R | Carol Kucera |
| 3 | Rafael Nadal | 16 | 2003 Monte Carlo | 2R | 7 Albert Costa |
| 4 | Rafael Nadal | 16 | Hamburg 2003 | 1R | Paul Henri Mathieu |
| 5 | Rafael Nadal | No. 17 | Hamburg 2003 | 2R | 4. Carlos Moya |
| 6 | Dinu Pescariu | No. 17 | 1991 Monte Carlo | 1R | Franco Davin |
| 7 | Moise Kouame | 17 (13 days) | 2026 Miami | 1R | Z. Svaida |
| 8 | Fabrice Santoro | No. 17 | 1990 Miami | 1R | Mark Rosset |
| 9 | Denis Shapovalov | No. 17 | 2016 Toronto | 1R | Nick Kyrgios |
| 10 | Fabrice Santoro | No. 17 | 1990 Hamburg | 1R | Peter Korda |
Kouame is also the first male player born in 2009 or later to win an ATP Tour event. At 17 years and 13 days old, he will try his luck in the next round in Miami against Czech player Jiri Lehecka.
Kouame, who qualified for the ATP main draw for the first time in Montpellier last month, is 6 feet 3 inches tall and is likely still growing. Earlier this year, he won back-to-back ITF titles.
He told the ATP Tour that his idol growing up was always Novak Djokovic.
Kouame’s father is of Ivorian descent and his mother is of Cameroonian descent. His older brother Michael is also a tennis player.
