LILLE/STARNBERG, February 20, 2026
The Moise Kouame phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down in Lille. The brightest young hope in French tennis, who turns 17 on March 6, booked his place in the semi-finals of the Play In Challenger Lille 2026 on Friday with a commanding straight-sets victory over US-American Nishesh Basavareddy, winning 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 49 minutes.
Competing in his fourth main draw of an ATP Challenger Tour event, the Parisian has been flawless so far, stringing together three consecutive wins without dropping a single set. Backed by a passionate home crowd and a vocal group of supporters from La Tribune Bleue, Kouame once again demonstrated remarkable composure. He saved all eight break points he faced, underlining his mental strength in key moments.
First career Challenger semi-final ✅
Moise Kouame beats Basavareddy 6-3, 6-3 and continues to break records in Lille #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/gGaOAPkaxw
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 20, 2026
“The score looks harsh compared to how the match actually felt,” Kouame admitted afterward. “He pushed me to my limits. I’m happy I managed to come through, and I hope to do even better tomorrow.”
In Saturday’s semi-final, Kouame will face another Frenchman, Luca Van Assche, who defeated compatriot Clement Chidekh 6-2, 6-3. The clash guarantees a French presence in the final and offers Kouame another opportunity to climb the ATP rankings. Thanks to his semi-final run, he is already assured of reaching world No. 397.
Despite his rapid rise, the teenager remains grounded. “There’s still a long way to the top and there’s a lot of work to do. It’s good because it’s another step forward, but I have to keep working,” he said with maturity beyond his years.
The other semi-final will feature Switzerland’s Jerome Kym and Belgium’s Alexander Blockx. Kym ended Titouan Droguet’s run in three sets, winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, while Blockx proved too strong for Benjamin Bonzi, sealing a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
“I’ve felt very good since the start of the tournament,” Blockx said. “I’m serving well, I feel great on court, and this was one of my best matches of the year.”
In doubles, Saturday’s final will see Metej Vocel of the Czech Republic and Jakub Paul from Switzerland take on Filip Pieczonka of Poland and Ivan Liutarevich from Belarus.
