The Lebanese Hady Habib became the first Lebanese player to reach the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, after his victory in the first round against the Chinese Bu Yunchaokete (7-6 [7/4]6-4, 7-6 [8/6]) this Sunday, January 12. By first beating Frenchman Clément Chidekh in qualifying on Thursday, the 219th player in the world had already made his mark on Lebanese tennis history. The last national from the country of Cedar to have qualified in singles for the final draw of a Grand Slam was until now Karim Fawaz, eliminated in the first round of the 1962 US Open at the time when the American major was still played on grass and was reserved for amateur players. The Lebanese will face the French Ugo Humbert (14th) or the Italian Matteo Gigante (145th) in the second round. “It’s undoubtedly one of the happiest days of my career, my greatest accomplishment,” he said at a press conference.
rf-2-sports
Tennis: Hady Habib becomes the first Lebanese to qualify for the second round of a Grand Slam
