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King Salman Patronizes King's Cup Final

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz awards the trophy to al-Ittihad players after they are crowned Cup champions. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz awards the trophy to al-Ittihad players after they are crowned Cup champions. (SPA)
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King Salman Patronizes King's Cup Final

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz awards the trophy to al-Ittihad players after they are crowned Cup champions. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz awards the trophy to al-Ittihad players after they are crowned Cup champions. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz patronized on Saturday the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup final contested between al-Faisaly and al-Ittihad football clubs.

Hosted by the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Sports Stadium in Jeddah, the final saw al-Ittihad crowned champions after defeating their rivals 3-1 in extra time.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques had arrived at the stadium with a number of officials.

After being greeted by a group of children, King Salman was received by Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Khalid al-Faisal and Chairman of the General Sports Authority Turki Al al-Sheikh.

He then viewed a photo exhibition, which included photographs from the rule of King Abdulaziz until his current reign.

Upon arrival at the main podium, the King was welcomed by the sports fans.

The closing ceremony for the tournament saw an artistic show and a performance by singer Mohammed Abdo.

After the match, Chairman of the General Sports Authority Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al al-Sheikh held a press conference about the game in which he expressed appreciation to King Salman for patronizing the cup final.

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Habib Becomes 1st Lebanese Player in Open Era to Play in Grand Slam Men's Singles Draw

FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)
FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)
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Habib Becomes 1st Lebanese Player in Open Era to Play in Grand Slam Men's Singles Draw

FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)
FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)

Hady Habib isn't likely to find anything too daunting at the Australian Open now that he's 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, The Associated Press reported.
It 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'll long remember.
Late last year, he made history at Temuco, Chile by becoming the first ATP Challenger Tour champion from Lebanon.
The 26-year-old Habib was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Lebanon as a young child, learning how to play there. He returned to the US to pursue a pro career and feels now like he's 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 Hezbollah.
“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.”
Habib's first-round opponent at Melbourne Park will be determined when all qualifiers are inserted into the main draw.