French teen Kouame to lean on home roar for next Roland Garros upset

PARIS, May 29 : The headline act in third round action at the French Open on Saturday includes defending champion Coco Gauff while top seed Aryna Sabalenka is also playing in the day session.

Court Philippe Chatrier will have a distinctly Stars and Stripes flavour, with Americans scheduled in every match at the main arena.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: MOISE KOUAME V ALEJANDRO TABILO 

Three months ago, French teenager Kouame would have been thrilled if a handful of people watched him play.

On Thursday, thousands of fans packed the Court Suzanne Lenglen stands and roared him through an epic five-set win that has transformed the previously unknown 17-year-old into Roland Garros' newest sensation.

The world number 318, playing in his first Grand Slam, needed nearly five hours to defeat Paraguay's Adolfo Vallejo in the Paris heat, a marathon that has suddenly thrust him into the spotlight at the French Open.

"Even in practice I've never played five hours in a row, so I've found out a lot of things about myself," Kouame said after his gruelling second-round triumph.

"Me being able to win such a game means that our physical preparation is good with the team, so let's keep going that way, because if I want to win a Grand Slam tournament once, I need to do it (win matches) seven times in a row."

Playing with nothing to lose, Kouame will lean on that new-found home support when he faces Chilean Tabilo in his next match and he has clearly embraced his sudden fame and the energy of the Roland Garros crowds.

"It's not easy, that's for sure, but I was able to draw into their energy because they were there to support me, not to stress me," he added.

"But it is definitely more enjoyable to play in front of 10,000 people than 10, that's a fact. I've really