Hady Habib Becomes The First Man Representing Lebanon To Win A Grand Slam Singles Match

Hady Habib's history-making run at the Australian Open will continue after the first man to represent Lebanon in a Grand Slam singles tournament in the Open era became the first to win a match, defeating Bu Yunchaokete of China 7-6 4, 6-4, 7-6 6 on Sunday in front of a loud group of supporters.

"This is probably one of the best days of my career, honestly. It's such an incredible feeling to get this win - not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis," said the 26-year-old Habib, who is ranked outside the top 200 on the ATP Tour. "As you guys could see there, the crowd was absolutely wild. It made it even more special to win in front of them. ... I felt the energy out there."

Habib was born in Houston, Texas, and played college tennis while a student at Texas AM University.

In between, he lived in Lebanon - where his father is from - from the ages of about 6 to 12, he explained, and picked up the sport there. He represented Lebanon at the Paris Olympics last year, losing to four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.

His sporting success has come during a war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A fragile ceasefire deal was struck in November after more than a year of fighting.