MELBOURNE (Reuters) – 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.
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 Nov. 26 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah holding after nearly 14 months of war.
Habib moved back to Lebanon with his family at the age of six before returning to the U.S. 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.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Ed Osmond)
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