As Max Schoenhaus was assessing a fine win in the Roland Garros boys’ singles on Monday, the German appeared to be the most popular player in Paris, at least for this moment.

To say Schoenhaus’s 6-4 5-7 6-4 triumph over No. 15 seed Jan Kumstat was well-received is an understatement, with well wishers offering hugs, high fives and backslaps to him after a hard-fought victory.

The 17-year-old has been a regular participant in high level junior tournaments throughout his teens and said one of the best things about his career has been the people he has met.

“It's really, really good to keep the connections. I mean, I can say that with almost everyone, I'm good friends,” he said. “We hug each other every time we see each other and at the big events, we see each other through the big events, through the whole year. So it's really, really nice. I am always happy when I see them and I really appreciate the time on the junior tour.”

The right-hander, who possesses a stylish one-handed backhand, is the reigning Wimbledon boys’ doubles champion and possesses a balanced and effective all-court game.

He deployed this with great distinction against Kumstat, a taller teenager with a strong serve, and was able to clinch decisive service breaks late in both the first and deciding sets.

“We have known each other for a long time now. I mean, we played together in the under-14s,” he said. “He's a great player and I really like his game style. So it was a really, really tough match, but I knew before that it was not going to be easy. He's one of the best juniors (and) he's really talented. It was really, really hard to break him.

“But I just said to myself … just try to use my chances. We had some key points (that) we wrote down before the match and I think it worked really, really good.”

Schoenhaus, who has been playing ITF senior events this year, has always loved coming to Roland Garros, with his parents bringing him to the tournament when he was a boy.

The German said the last few days in Paris, a city he loves visiting, have been great.

On Saturday night he was glued to the television at his hotel as Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Champions League Trophy with a dazzling performance.

“I watched it in the hotel and, I mean, the streets were going crazy. The night was actually pretty sick, and yeah, I really like Paris a lot,” he said.

On the eve of his match against Kumstat, he tried to take in as much of Lorenzo Musetti’s clash with Holger Rune in the night session at Roland Garros, with good reason.

The Italian possesses a blistering one-handed backhand, which he used superbly in his fourth round triumph, and is a player who inspires Schoenhaus.

He switched from a double-handed backhand as a 10-year-old and said it was impressive to see stars including Musetti using the shot so brilliantly on the senior tour.

“I really look up to Museti at the moment. His backhand is a really, really big weapon,” he said. “And for my backhand, and actually for my style, a little bit, I try to be a little bit like Musetti, because I also really like him off the court. I think he has a great balance with his lifestyle and tennis.

“I really love the slice, which helps me a lot with the one-hander. You can really change the rhythm, which is really important against different opponent styles.”

Other notable results in the boys’ singles tournament included No. 2 seed Jacopo Vasami’s 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory over Schoenhaus’s compatriot Jamie Mackenzie in the second round.

No. 1 seed Andres Santamarta Roig was also pressed in his clash with Pierluigi Basille, who also hits a one-handed backhand, before progressing to the last 16 with a 6-4 1-6 6-3 win.

American Jack Kennedy was a dominant winner in his opening round match, while No. 7 seed Yannick Theodor Alexandrescou won an interesting clash with Linus Lagerbohm 6-2 7-6 (3).

French boy Pierre Antoine Faut, a wildcard, gave local fans reason to smile as well on a sunny Monday in Paris with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Luis Guto Miguel. He will play Schoenhaus on Tuesday.