The new sensation of French tennis breaks record in Paris

The French Moise Kouame, 17 years oldcould not achieve his dream of becoming the youngest winner of a match at the Paris Masters 1000, where He was defeated by the Portuguese Nuno Borges, 6-3 and 6-1.

Having achieved victory, the Parisian would have ousted the American Michael Chang for a monthwho in 1989 won two matches in the tournament at the age of 17 years and eight months.

Kouame, who came to light at the last Roland Garros, where he reached the third round, He was rescued for the final draw of the Masters 1,000 in his city after the loss of the Czech Jakub Mensik and he faced the duel two days after having won his first tournament in the secondary circuit in Brest.

Borges, who was also brought back for the final draw, after the abandonment of Alejandro Davidovich, with back problems, will face the Russian Karen Khachanovwho passed the first round after the abandonment of Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

In other matches of the day, the Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry broke the streak of six consecutive losses with a victory against the Russian Andrey Rublev22nd in the world, 6-4, 6-7(4) and 7-6(3).

Etcheverry held on to the match against an opponent who was also on a bad streak, four defeats in a row since reaching the quarterfinals in Beijing.

After dominating the first set, the Argentine stood up to the return of the Russian, who equalized the duel and scored the second in a disputed tiebreaker game.

“I wasn’t playing badly, I knew that, in the third, if we maintained that equality we could go to another tiebreaker game, and it turned out well,” Etcheverry said after the duel.

The Argentine had not won since his brilliant participation in the United States Open, where he reached the round of 16.

“This victory is good for confidence and to better face the last tournaments of the year,” said the tennis player, who highlighted the fact of having beaten a rival like Rublev, whom he considered “a great player.”

“It lets me know that I am at this level and it is very important for me, to be able to continue the week, for the end of the year and to get points,” he added.

Etcheverry confessed that the six-game losing streak raised doubts in him, because he had never before had so many games without a win.

“I finished the US Open with a lot of confidence and I thought I could have a great close to the year. But I didn’t. Hopefully I can turn it around now,” he said.

“In the end I continued to trust my options, with the conviction that with work I would get my tennis back,” he said.

Etcheverry, who has never made it past the second round in Paris, will face Australian Alex de Miñaur, eighth seed, recent finalist in Vienna, also indoors, this Wednesday.

“I’m going to have to play like today, I think I did a great level and I’ll have to repeat it. He’s a different type of player, with a different type of game. I faced him twice, I already know what awaits me,” he said.

The Argentine described it as “irregular”, with a victory at the beginning of the year in Rio de Janeiro and some good results such as the semifinals in Buenos Aires and Kitzbuhel and the quarterfinals in Houston.

“I have to gain experience to get out of bad times and when you’re up, don’t trust yourself because you can go down,” he added.

Etcheverry’s victory contrasted with the elimination of his compatriot Francisco Cerúndolo16th favorite, who had to retire injured in the third set of his match against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, 3-6, 7-6(2) and 2-0.

Cerundolo’s physical problems will possibly force him to also give up the doubles in which he was registered with Etcheverry.

Argentina has another asset, Thiago Agustín Tirante, who replaced the injured Italian Flavio Cobolli in the final draw, and who will face this Wednesday the winner of the duel between the German Jan-Lennard Struff and the French Arthur Gea, invited by the organizers.

Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, Mariano Navone and Sebastián Baez fell on the first day.