The soldier Kouamé

And yes, it's the big Roland event for us French people: we’ve got a mature player who doesn’t let himself get overwhelmed by the pressure 😋

And yes, he’d already proven it with his Wild Card in Miami by beating Svajda at the end of an epic match. Then in Monte Carlo against a Frenchman, never giving up (lost to Ugo Humbert). He was missing a match in a Grand Slam, and that’s now done. The kid’s maturity in not shaking at the end of that first set is beautiful to see. Between his Wild Cards, he even went and won an ITF. I love it. So we’re looking at a mature player to analyze here, all the more so as he’ll be boosted by a fired‑up crowd in the cauldron of Suzanne Lenglen.

On the other side, I also saw a very sharp, lively Vallejo. The Paraguayan is having a crazy season. He’s a true clay-courter who can last for hours hitting heavy, loopy balls with intensity. He’s built the physique for it, and he’s going to be a real handful.

Is Moise ready for this kind of challenge? Under normal circumstances, in a match outside of France and not as important as Roland Garros, the Frenchman is clearly a step below. Logically, he should get outplayed by experience, by clay-court savvy… and physically. Because yes, he was clearly better than his 20‑years‑older elder Marin Cilic, but this is going to hurt a lot more, and at 17 your body is not really conditioned yet for this kind of battle (even if he’s extremely fit and physically gifted).

So to have any hope of winning, he’ll already need to be very solid, because he won’t be given much on the other side of the net, and he’ll have to go out and earn his points. I don’t think he can beat him in a long, grinding clay‑court battle.

I’m not forgetting that the Paraguayan is also a rookie when it comes to the Grand Slam format. So the obvious card to play would be a long, high‑over match, because he won’t be perfect, and Moise has that famous X factor in Paris!