Young Moïse Kouame beat the Italian Lorenzo Sonego, 7-6, 6-4, in Lyon on Monday. He is 17. They had invited him, which is what one does, and he thanked them by winning, which is done less often.
He faced five break points. He saved every one. One hour fifty-two minutes of match, and not once did he let his game slip away.
His coach is called Richard Gasquet. I’m told Monsieur Gasquet won a match at this same tournament at 16, in 2003, and that the boy now stands third on the list, just behind him and Roger Federer. The teacher ahead of the pupil, then.
I’m not criticising. I’m comparing. In Couvin, my brother taught me to hit the ball against the garage wall. He always kept a length ahead, he insisted on it. The day I lasted longer than he did, he repainted the wall. Monsieur Gasquet has no paintbrush yet, I think.
Next round it’s Lorenzo Musetti, seeded number 6. They have never met. I hope someone will have thought to make him eat something beforehand.
Silly question, but if Gasquet is ahead on the list, is he allowed to practise against his pupil, or is that cheating?
The young man, for his part, converted his first match point. He didn’t need asking twice. The walls, back then, did.
It’s true, we checked: Tennis Majors.
