Hady Habib isn’t likely to find anything too daunting at the Australian Open now that he has become the first Lebanese player in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam men’s singles draw.
He advanced through three rounds of the qualifying at Melbourne Park, winning his third match in a tiebreaker 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8) over Clement Chidekh of France on Thursday to secure a place in the main draw of the tournament that starts Sunday.
Habib will face Bu Yunchaokete in the first round.
Advancing continued a rapid rise for Habib, who made his Olympic debut last year in Paris, running into eventual silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time major winner, in the first round. It was two sets he will long remember.
Late last year, Habib made history in Temuco, Chile, by becoming the first ATP Challenger Tour champion from Lebanon.
The 26-year-old Habib was born in Houston and moved to Lebanon as a young child, learning how to play there. He returned to the U.S. to pursue a pro career, and now he feels like he is representing of the spirit of Lebanese people.
“I know it’s just a sport, but I feel like representing Lebanon and sacrificing all the things I had to do to get here, it kind of resembles how our nation has fought back,” Habib told Australia’s SBS News this week.
His personal success has come at a difficult time during the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A fragile ceasefire deal was struck Nov. 27 following nearly 14 months of war.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023 — the day after Hamas launched the deadly attack that ignited the ongoing war in Gaza. Subsequent Israeli air and ground assaults have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians. At the height of the war, more than 1 million Lebanese people were displaced.
“Every morning, I was waking up during that challenging time, I was contacting all my family members, my friends, making sure they’re okay,” Habib told SBS News. “My heart’s just shattered to see what’s happening to our country and people.
“It was a hard time mentally for me, knowing that you can’t do anything to help, but I’m glad things are calming down now. Hopefully, we’ll find some peace.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.