Lebanon's Hady Habib eyes the ball as he hits a shot against China's Bu Yunchaokete during their men's singles match at the Australian Open. Photo: PAUL CROCK
Lebanese qualifier Hady Habib broke new ground for the strife-torn nation on Sunday as he beat China's Bu Yunchaokete 7-6(4) 6-4 7-6(6) to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
The world number 219 became his country's first player to win a men's singles main draw match at a Grand Slam in the professional era and soaked up wild cheers from a rowdy crowd packing the small terraces on Melbourne Park's Court 13.
"It's such an credible feeling to get this win not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis... the crowd was absolutely wild. It made it even more special to win in front of them," Habib told reporters.
With fans chanting his name, the Texas-born 26-year-old raised his racket at the crowd and held up a Lebanese flag after claiming the decisive tiebreak.
Habib's success has come at a tense time for Lebanon, with a 26 November ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah holding after nearly 14 months of war.
"I think to bring something positive... we've been having a rough time with obviously the war. We had our other issues in the past," he said.
Habib moved back to Lebanon with his family at the age of six before returning to the US to develop his game as a junior.
He represented Lebanon at the Paris Olympics and became the country's first player to win an event on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour in Chile last year.
"I started to play tennis in Lebanon. I still have a lot of friends back there. My parents currently live there," Habib said.
"Hopefully, there's going to be a larger audience to watch me play my next match. I think it'd be better if I played on a bigger court so that more Lebanese people can come out and watch me."
- Reuters
