Who is Kaylan Bigun? All you need to know about the UCLA star who became the first American to win French Open boys' title since Tommy Paul

Future UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) star Kaylan Bigun became the first American to lift the French Open boys’ singles title since Tommy Paul in 2015. The LA-born youngster came from behind to prevail over the unseeded Tomasz Berkieta 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Bigun’s win in Paris was his first at a Grand Slam. He had to work hard for it, winning three of his six matches in titanic three-set tussles.

His win is set to propel him to wider recognition, but the youngster has been around the circuit for a while now. Here, we look back at his impressive young career, association with in the light of his French Open exploits.

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Kaylan Bigun's father ignited his tennis passion

During one of his French Open interviews, Kaylan Bigun revealed that his father Dimitry handed him a racket at the age of one and has been his biggest supporter since.

“My dad put a tennis racket in my hand when I was in the walker, when I was one year old, and since then I've been swinging around the forehand," Bigun told ITFTennis.com.

The forehand that he mentions has since become an important weapon in his arsenal, as was evident at the Claycourt Slam. The youngster does not have the biggest of frames but can generate impressive pace off that wing.

Bigun’s French Open heroics grabbed the headlines, but his first foray on the Grand Slam stage came earlier at this year’s Australian Open.

The American made it to the boys’ singles quarterfinals Down Under but lost a topsy-turvy three-setter against Nicolai Budkov Kjær. He nonetheless was headed towards a career-high junior ranking of No. 6.

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French Open heroics and what lies ahead for Kaylan Bigun

Bigun after winning the 2024 French Open boys' singles title.

Kaylan Bigun came into this year’s French Open as the fifth seed. He lived up to the billing, coming through his early rounds against Viktor Frydrych, Timeo Trufelli and Miguel Tobon unscathed.

His first real test came against a qualifier from Switzerland, Henry Bernet, who pushed him to three sets only to fall short 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Another three-set encounter followed in the semifinal but against a much more fancied opponent in the form of second seed Joel Schwarzler. Bigun came from behind to claim a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

The final was a near-mirror match with the American braving some big serving and nifty volley from Tomasz Berkieta to come through 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in fine fashion.

The fact that the victory came on the red dirt, not the most common surface to practise on in the part of the world that he comes from, made it just that extra bit special.

"It means a lot," Kaylan Bigun said after the win. "I don't really play on red clay a good amount, and I don't think Americans have been known to specialize in the red clay.

"Obviously if you won a tournament the week before you come in with a good amount of confidence and kind of seasoned in the match play and competing. So I knew what I had to do and how I wanted to play on the court," the American added.

Besides him and Tommy Paul, the only other American to have gotten his hands on the trophy was Bjorn Fratangelo in 2011. But with former champions including the likes of Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, the youngster finds himself in fine company.

Away from the Grand Slam spotlight though, the American has decided to take the university tennis route like many others before him. He had signed a letter of intent to play tennis at UCLA at the start of the year and will make his debut soon.

He trains with Mackenzie McDonald at times, another college tennis product, at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) base in Florida. When not playing tennis, Bigun is busy building Lego rockets. It’s an activity that helps him unwind before and after matches.

With the biggest win of his young career still fresh, Bigun can well look forward to some relaxation. If he can continue to play with the sort of intent that he showed over the last week or so, we can be looking long and successful. As for Bigun, he will need to pack plenty more puzzles in the backpack to keep him company on the long days.