French teenage sensation Moïse Kouamé makes history at Roland Garros amid huge hype

Not since Yannick Noah has there been such hype about a rising star in French tennis - and on Wednesday observers of the sport may have been given a glimpse of what's to come.

France bid farwell to one of its greatest competitors when Gael Monfils played his last Roland-Garros match on Tuesday.

However, on Wednesday, they welcomed a player who's viewed as the most likely to be Noah's successor 43 years after his French Open triumph.

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Moïse Kouamé, a 17-year-old who already clocks a 223kph serve and has signed with talent agency IMG, made the perfect start to his career at Roland Garros with a 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 win over a 37-year-old former US Open champ Marin Cilic.

In doing so he became the youngest player to win a match in Paris since 1991 and also the youngest player to win a grand slam match since 2009.

In March the No.318-ranked Kouamé became the youngest winner in Miami Masters history when he beat Zachary Svajda in the first round — earning a congratulatory message from Novak Djokovic.

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The Frenchman has won three ITF titles – the third tier of professional tennis.

Kouamé made waves at the beginning of the year when he followed up an ITF title in Bressuire to qualify for his first ATP main draw in Montpellier in February, a month before his 17th birthday.

While he battled through lower tier tournaments, including reaching the semi-final of a Challenger in Lille, media and fans still kept a close eye on the teenager, who already stands at 191cm.

His affiliation with IMG and success in the lower tier tournaments led to opportunities abroad, with wildcards at the Masters 1000 events in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid over the past few months.

Kouamé's athleticism has been well noted by the tennis media and that was on show against Cilic, who is 20 years his senior.

His speed around court was impressive, double handed backhands were solid and he barely missed a forehand against Cilic.

"I'm 17, and I have won one grand slam match," Kouamé said.

"I don't think that my opponent today thought: 'Oh, he's 17.' He was trying to play his best, and same for me. I didn't care about his age. I just wanted to give him shots that were as complicated to play as possible.

"So for some, the age factor may play a role, but as far as I'm concerned, I tried to focus, not to think about it.

"When you're on court, you don't think about your age or what you're going to eat. You think about what you have to do to win."

He added: "I'm of course looking for more. All the practice worked, I want to say. Of course the most important is ahead. So now the head is focused on recovering and being ready as much as possible for the next round."

He will next face Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who advanced after 20th seed Cameron Norrie retired ‌injured.