Moise Kouamé (turning 17 on March 6, world No. 507, wild card) made a successful start at the Play In Challenger Lille, winning in straight sets (6–4, 6–2, 1h35) against Croatian qualifier Matej Dodig (20, No. 232). “The North suits me well; day after day I keep learning,” said the young player from the Paris region. The Sarcelles native described his opening match as “a good performance, with my objectives achieved.”
He will face Austria’s Joel Schwaerzler (20, No. 246) in the second round on Thursday. Schwaerzler defeated Belgium’s David Goffin (35, No. 119) in three sets (4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 2h15), with Goffin once again hampered by the left knee pain that troubled him at the end of the 2025 season. “Physically, it was complicated,” admitted the player from Liège.
Bouquier Survives a Scare
Earlier in the day, Frenchman Arthur Bouquier (25, No. 358) had a real scare against Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejans (32, No. 251), winning 7–5, 0–6, 7–5 (2h16). “I would have liked to spare myself that, but… I’m hungry for wins, so I’m really taking everything that comes my way right now. This kind of match will give me confidence. I didn’t play a bad match, but in the second set I completely lost my rhythm,” admitted the defending Play In Challenger champion, who squeezed into the second round by the narrowest of margins.
Chidekh Takes Down a Top 100 Player
Tuesday’s standout performance came from Clément Chidekh (24, No. 205), who knocked out Britain’s Jacob Fearnley (24, No. 84), the tournament’s No. 2 seed, in the first round in three sets (6–3, 2–6, 6–2, 2h00). The Arles native will face another Frenchman in the second round, Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg (22, No. 267), on Wednesday.
The day will also mark the end of the first round with Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi (29, No. 112), the No. 8 seed and recent finalist at the Pau Challenger, taking on Daniil Glinka (25, No. 171). Three other French players are scheduled for second-round action: Titouan Droguet (24, No. 120) against Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov (25, No. 195), Luca Van Assche (21, No. 130) against another Kazakh, Mikhail Kukushkin (38, No. 263), and Hugo Gaston (25, No. 96) versus American Nishesh Basavareddy (20, No. 192).
