Sergeant Kouamé

The soldier was promoted to sergeant yesterday with his first M1000 victory at just 17 years old. Can he follow it up?

Despite his abs issues and the cramps he had during his pretty physical match against Svajda, Moïse is young, very young, and physically he’s already very good. Sure, playing two days in a row in Miami’s humid climate for your first Masters 1000 can be a lot. But we’re talking about cramps, not injuries or overall exhaustion. So I’m not going to factor that argument in too much. No, what bothers me more is his game here. He’s a warrior, he’s got “cojones” (being that clutch for your first match in a Masters 1000 is something), but he’s missing a real big weapon. He’s going to play a Lehecka who’s a bit all over the place, but even then, he’s going to struggle to hit through him. So the question is: can Jiri Lehecka’s average level be enough to beat him?

Jiri Lehecka is not in form. I think this American swing kind of annoys him. He’s never really performed well during this stretch. He sprayed the ball everywhere against Baez at Indian Wells, especially on the forehand. And I know what bothers him are guys who get everything back and make him work, Norrie-style. And now he’s going to play a 17-year-old kid who has zero complexes, who is completely freed from any kind of pressure now, and who has three lungs. So when I see him priced at 1.15, I quietly laugh to myself...