French Open: 17-year-old creates history, puts his head inside 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 homegrown star thrilled the Paris crowd with a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) win over Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.

Battling through the blistering Paris heat, Kouame fought till the very end and eventually emerged victorious in a marathon contest that lasted 4 hours and 56 minutes. Immediately after sealing the win, the teenager walked straight to the drinks cooler at the side of the court and buried his head inside it in a desperate attempt to cool down.

Playing on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Kouame clawed his way back from 5-3 down in the fifth set to force a decisive tiebreaker. He then rallied again from 8-7 down in the breaker before sealing the match with a delicate drop shot that Vallejo managed to reach, only to push into the net.

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

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

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

Kouame was not the only player to struggle with the heat on Thursday. World No.1 Jannik Sinner was knocked out of the tournament by unseeded Juan Manuel Cerundolo earlier in the day. Playing the opening match on Centre Court, Sinner struggled with dizziness and cramps after dominating the contest till the very end of the third set.

Leading comfortably and seemingly on the verge of victory, the Italian suddenly lost momentum after being forced to take a medical timeout due to heat-related issues. Cerundolo seized the opportunity brilliantly, extending rallies and forcing Sinner into difficult movements as the World No.1 visibly struggled physically.

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