Kouame’s ‘goal is World No. 1’, but first up: Miami debut

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Kouame’s ‘goal is World No. 1’, but first up: Miami debut

17-year-old Frenchman previews his main-draw ATP Masters 1000 debut

Presse Sports / JEAN BAPTISTE AUTISSIER

Moise Kouame is the youngest player in the Top 900 of the PIF ATP Rankings. By Jerome Coombe

Moise Kouame is about to tick off something many young tennis player dreams about: stepping onto court at an ATP Masters 1000 event.

The 17-year-old Frenchman has received a wild card into the Miami Open presented by Itau, where he will make his main-draw debut at this level. For Kouame, the youngest player inside the Top 900 of the PIF ATP Rankings, it’s a moment he’s eager to embrace.

“I won my first tournaments on the circuit, which was really fun, then I qualified for my first ATP 250 event [in Montpellier],” Kouame, who is at a career-high World No. 385, said in a social media post. “Now playing in Miami is just unbelievable. Miami is Miami, you know? There’s no other [place] like Miami. It’s a really cool place.

“It’s going to be a big experience for me playing these guys, so I am going to try and put everything into it.”

Kouame has picked up speed during his rise in recent months. The 6’3” teen opened his 2026 season by winning back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour titles before qualifying for his first tour-level event at the ATP 250 on home soil in Montpellier.

Now comes another step in his fast-moving journey. In Miami, Kouame will begin his campaign Thursday against American qualifier Zachary Svajda — their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. It is a chance for the young Frenchman to test himself against the world’s best on one of the Tour’s biggest stages.

“My goal is to be World No. 1 and win lots of Grand Slam [titles]. This is what I am training for,” Kouame said. “Now it’s a dream, and I hope later it won't be, but it will be real.”

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