{"id":197488,"date":"2026-03-19T07:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/197488\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T07:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:37:08","slug":"moise-kouames-goal-is-world-no-1-but-first-up-miami-debut-atp-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/197488\/","title":{"rendered":"Moise Kouame\u2019s \u2018goal is World No. 1\u2019, but first up: Miami debut | ATP Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Player Features
\n Kouame\u2019s \u2018goal is World No. 1\u2019, but first up: Miami debut <\/p>\n

17-year-old Frenchman previews his main-draw ATP Masters 1000 debut<\/p>\n

March 19, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Moise<\/p>\n

Presse Sports \/ JEAN BAPTISTE AUTISSIER<\/p>\n

Moise Kouame is the youngest player in the Top 900 of the PIF ATP Rankings.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n

Moise Kouame<\/a> is about to tick off something many young tennis player dreams about: stepping onto court at an ATP Masters 1000 event.<\/p>\n

The 17-year-old Frenchman has received a wild card into the Miami Open presented by Itau<\/a>, 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\u2019s a moment he\u2019s eager to embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won my first tournaments on the circuit, which was really fun, then I qualified for my first ATP 250 event [in Montpellier],\u201d Kouame, who is at a career-high World No. 385, said\u00a0in a social media post<\/a>. \u201cNow playing in Miami is just unbelievable. Miami is Miami, you know? There\u2019s no other [place] like Miami. It\u2019s a really cool place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a big experience for me playing these guys, so I am going to try and put everything into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kouame has picked up speed during his rise in recent months. The 6\u20193\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Now comes another step in his fast-moving journey. In Miami, Kouame will begin his campaign Thursday against American qualifier Zachary Svajda<\/a> \u2014 their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. It is a chance for the young Frenchman to test himself against the world\u2019s best on one of the Tour\u2019s biggest stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal is to be World No. 1 and win lots of Grand Slam [titles]. This is what I am training for,\u201d Kouame said. \u201cNow it\u2019s a dream, and I hope later it won’t be, but it will be real.\u201d<\/p>\n

You May Also Like: Who is 16-year-old Moise Kouame?<\/a><\/p>\n

Kouame first picked up a racquet at five years old after watching his older brother play, and it didn\u2019t take long before he found a tennis hero to follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching my brother play, I just wanted to play, so I grabbed a racquet,\u201d Kouame said of his brother Michael. \u201cMy idol was Novak Djokovic<\/a> growing up. I was just so amazed when I was watching him play \u2014 his style and resilience was just unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n