Sabalenka, Zverev and Habib shine on rain-hit first day of Australian Open tennis news
Hadi Habib became the first Lebanese player to win a Grand Slam match on an eventful opening day at Melbourne Park.
Aryna Sabalenka began her bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title by defeating former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-2 on a wet opening day of the main round in Melbourne.
Despite a power-hitting show at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, Sabalenka was nowhere near her peak as she was broken twice by the American in the first set, but she sealed her 15th consecutive win with the help of her powerful forehand. Hardcourt Grand Slam.
Sabalenka, the standout hardcourt player in the women’s game, raced to a 4–0 lead over Stephens in the first set while fans were still in their seats for the first evening match of the day on Center Court.
Although Stephens broke her serve twice to break back to lead 4–3, Sabalenka took the set with strong net play and traditional aggression.
Sabalenka will face Spaniard Jessica Bauzas Maneiro for a place in the third round in an attempt to become the first woman to win the Australian Open “threepeat” since Martina Hingis (1997–99).
Meanwhile, men’s second seed Alexander Zverev barely needed to get out of third gear as the German beat Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Zverev has made no secret of his ambition to win a major title for the first time at Melbourne Park this year and the 2024 semi-finalist produced a strong performance.
Hadi Habib raised the flag of Lebanon
Lebanon’s Hadi Habib made history by becoming the first player from his country to win a Grand Slam match when he defeated China’s Bu Yunchaoqte in front of a frenzied crowd on Court 13.
Habib, ranked 219th in the world, is the only Lebanese man or woman so far to succeed in qualifying and reach the main draw at one of the four major tournaments.
The 26-year-old continued his fairytale run with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) victory, after which he wrapped himself in the Lebanese flag while signing autographs .
“Honestly, this is probably one of the best days of my career,” Habib said.
“It’s an incredible feeling to get this win, not only for me but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis.
“As you guys could see there, the crowd was absolutely wild. “It made it even more special to win in front of them.”
Born in the United States to a Lebanese father, Habib lived in Lebanon for a few years from the age of six and has been representing the country since the age of 15 when he played Davis Cup for the first time.
His reward is a second-round match against 14th-seeded Ugo Humbert of France.
“This is a huge victory, especially given what we’re going through as a country,” Habib said.
Play stopped due to rain and storm
Earlier on the day of the main round, Olympic champion Zheng Qianwen, who lost to Sabalenka in last year’s final, advanced to the second round, while men’s sixth seed Casper Ruud and former world number four Kei Nishikori dodged wet weather. Scored five points while giving. Determine victory.
This was another case on outdoor courts where play ended after less than an hour in the morning and did not resume until more than six hours in the evening.
Eight of the 32 scheduled singles matches were canceled and organizers will be thankful for the extra day of exemption that was first added to the tournament last year.
The men’s draw saw two long matches, with Norwegian Ruud winning 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 over Jaume Munar and Japan’s Nishikori 4-6, Won 6-7(4) 7-5, 6-. 2 6-3 against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro.
