Hady Habib's historic run at the Australian Open is over after the Lebanese player was beaten in straight sets by Ugo Humbert on Wednesday.
Habib had become the first man from his country to win a Grand Slam main draw match when he defeated China's Bu Yunchaokete at the weekend.
He had already made history by coming through three qualifying-round matches to reach the main draw at Melbourne Park but Humbert proved a step too far, with the French 14th seed securing a confident 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Habib's dream might be over but he can still look back in pride at his run Down Under. “I always had goals to play these big tournaments, but at times it seemed very far, I’m not going to lie,” the Texas-born 26-year-old said after beating Bu.
“I had some challenging moments in my career playing for a small country with limited financial help from the government.
“The energy that I felt on the court from the fans, it literally pushed me to get that win. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Novak Djokovic, looking to make it 11 titles in Melbourne, defeated Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 to seal his spot in the third round.
It was the 37-year-old's 430th singles match at a major to claim sole ownership of most ever played, men or women, in the Open Era ahead of Roger Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423).
“I love this sport. I love competition,” Djokovic said when asked about the milestone after beating the 21-year-old.
“I try to give my best every single time. It's been over 20 years that I've been competing in Grand Slams at the highest level.
“Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I'm just blessed to be making another record.”
Clinching the title would also take him clear of Australia's Margaret Court and become the first player to 25 Grand Slam crowns.
Djokovic, who had new coach Andy Murray watching from the stands, now faces Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac next and is drawn to meet Spain's red-hot Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz dropped just five games in an ominous display to sprint into the third round where he will take on Portugal's Nuno Borges.
The third seed showed no mercy to Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 rout in 81 minutes.
“The less time you spend on court in the Grand Slams, especially in the beginning, it is going to be better,” said Alcaraz, who is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Sixth seed Casper Ruud was sent spinning out of the tournament after being beaten 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 by Czech teenager Jakub Mensik under the lights at Margaret Court Arena.
Ruud became the fourth top 10 seed to fall at the tournament following Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov.
In the women's draw, Olympic champion and last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen was beaten 7-6, 6-3 by Laura Siegemund of Germany.
The fifth seed left the court looking like she was about to burst into tears while world No 97 Siegemund was beaming from ear to ear after a famous win.
“Maybe today is not my day,” Zheng, 22, said. “There's a lot of details in the important points. I didn't do the right choice.”
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka dropped her serve three times and faced 11 break points before overcoming Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5, rattling off the last five games in a row.
“She played incredible tennis today and it was a really tough one. I expected this tennis from her, I'm really glad I was able to win this match,” said Sabalenka, who beat Zheng in the 2024 final and tackles unseeded Dane Clara Tauson next.
The win kept the Belarusian world No 1 on course for a hat-trick of Australian Open titles, a feat last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis.
Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 champion in Australia but now unseeded, stormed back to defeat 20th seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Osaka called it a “little revenge” for defeat at the US Open in August to the Czech. Up next is Swiss Belinda Bencic, who returned to the tour late last year after giving birth to her daughter.
Third seed Coco Gauff made heavy weather of British battler Jodie Burrage before claiming a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
The 20-year-old American set up an intriguing duel against former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez for a place in the fourth round.
“It was tough. She was serving really well, so I was just trying to manage that, honestly,” said Gauff.
“She really stepped her level up in the middle of the second set so I was just trying to be offensive as much as I could.”
American seventh seed Jessica Pegula, beaten in the US Open final by Sabalenka last year, eased through 6-4, 6-2 against Belgium's Elise Mertens to set up a third-round clash with Serbia's Olga Danilovic.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
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Tomorrow 2021
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
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Dos
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- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
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- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Tomorrow 2021
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
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• Could the UAE drive India's economy?
• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it
• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture
• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
