New Delhi, May 29 -- French teenager Moise Kouame thrilled home fans by beating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) to reach the third round of the French Open on Thursday.

The 17-year-old Kouame held firm in a contest lasting just under five hours on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne-Lenglen. He clawed back from 5-3 down in the fifth set to force a decisive tiebreaker and rallied again from 8-7 down in the tiebreaker.

He won with a drop shot that his Paraguayan opponent got his racket to but could only pat into the net.

Kouame dropped onto his back and, when he got back up, put both hands on his head in disbelief. Then he thumped his chest and pointed to all sides of the crowd.

"It's something I've always dreamed to do, get ...