Venus Williams’ return, 17-year-old wild card’s historc win treat Miami Open fans

There was something for everyone to savor Thursday at the Miami Open, including a 45-year-old icon and a youngster who just turned 17 and had the tennis world buzzing after making history in the afternoon. Fans were treated to the return of legend Venus Williams, a seven-time singles grand slam champion who won the tournament as a teenager in 1998 and 1999, then again in 2001 before her younger sister Serena became the dominant slayer in Miami and the rest of the world. She lost in straight sets as a tournament wild card, falling to No. 93 Francesca Jones of Great Britain, 7-5, 7-5. But the early-day chatter surrounded wild-card entrant Moise Kouame of France, who in defeating qualifier Zachary Svajda of the United States, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 became the youngest man to win an ATP Masters 1000 match since Rafael Nadal at 2003 Hamburg. Kouame, who turned 17 on March 6, made his ATP Masters 1000 main draw debut, becoming the first man born in 2009 or later to win an ATP Tour match. He is the seventh-youngest ATP Masters 1000 match winner since the series began in 1990. Kouame gushed about the congratulatory text he received from six-time Miami champion Novak Djokovic immediately after the match. Djokovic recently pulled out of the tournament with an injured shoulder. “I read only one message for now,’’ said the 6-3, 161-pound teenager, “and it’s [from] a special person to me, my idol. He texted me something really nice. I will take time to answer. It’s my dream to meet him and have a small chat.’’ Kouame, at a career-high World No. 385 entering the tournament, will rise at least 66 spots, according to the ATP live rankings, when the next rankings are released March 30 after Miami ends. Kouame recently told the ATP his goal was “to be World No. 1 and win lots of Grand Slam [titles]. Now it’s a dream, and I hope later it won’t be.’’ Kouame has three sisters and a brother and listed his hobbies as playing PlayStation, golf, chess and Skyjo. He said on his bio that his dream job is to become an F1 driver, and his secret talent is cooking. In tennis, he was the 2024 Orange Bowl boys’ singles runner-up at age 15. “It’s never easy,’’ Kouame said of the work it has taken for him to achieve what he has at a young age. “In daily life it’s never easy to be 100 percent focused on everything every time. That’s why I have a team around me -– obviously my family, my mother, my sister. “Even after tough matches you still need to think about the next one, about training afterward. I won today but tomorrow I have another match. The most important thing for me is to recover and be ready for the next one tomorrow.’’ Kouame next meets 22nd-ranked Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic – at 24 an old man compared to Kouame. When told that the Miami Open has been the springboard to change lives for several greats, Kouame said it would be “huge” for him to keep winning, but insisted all he’s thinking about it “the present and recovering. “The most important thing is just to work and be 100-percent focused on what you can control.’’ “It was a really physical match,’’ he said, “against a really great opponent. …Cramping isn’t easy to play with, of course, but I managed to finish at the end. I’m really happy.’’ When asked how he manages to still be a teenager and have fun while still being a professional athlete as well, he said, “Like you said, yeah, it’s quite difficult to do teenage things. Having tennis means having a lot of sacrifices – missing birthdays, missing parties, missing everything. “But this is the life I chose, so for now I’m pretty good with it.’’ Kouame then was told about Williams being 45 and playing in the tournament. Could he imagine doing the same when he’s 45? “No,’’ he said with a smile. “For now I’m 17. I’m trying to enjoy the moment.’’ Tennis aficionados disappointed by a total washout at the Miami Open on Wednesday, were gifted with a beautiful day of tennis that featured 50 men’s and women’s matches scheduled from noon into the night. Alexandra Eala didn’t have her No. 1 Miami Heat fan watching her Thursday at the Miami Open, but the way she’s rising in women’s tennis, there could be more opportunities for Filipino-American coach Eric Spoelstra to watch his favorite rising star this week at Hard Rock Stadium. Spoelstra has become friends with Eala, but had a game to coach Thursday night. Eala, who lost to Jessica Pegula in the Miami Open semifinal last year, was just glad she could get her match in on a gorgeous day. The 20-year-old Filipino, ranked 29th in the world, opened the first round of main-draw play Thursday on stadium court in 73-degree sunshine, defeating Laura Siegemund of Germany, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 in a 3 ½ hour marathon. “It means the world to me,’’ she said of the win “and it says a lot about how I’ve developed as a player and a person. I’m really, really happy, especially being able to compete at this level. “It was close, definitely was demanding. I’m really pleased with how I’m handling everything as a whole. I’m doing a good job of keeping that balance of being hungry and happy.’’