Alexis Sanchez Makes Marseille Debut in Brest Draw

Football - Ligue 1 - Brest v Olympique de Marseille - Stade Francis-Le Ble, Brest, France - August 14, 2022 Olympique de Marseille's Alexis Sanchez in action with Brest's Achraf Dari. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Brest v Olympique de Marseille - Stade Francis-Le Ble, Brest, France - August 14, 2022 Olympique de Marseille's Alexis Sanchez in action with Brest's Achraf Dari. (Reuters)
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Alexis Sanchez Makes Marseille Debut in Brest Draw

Football - Ligue 1 - Brest v Olympique de Marseille - Stade Francis-Le Ble, Brest, France - August 14, 2022 Olympique de Marseille's Alexis Sanchez in action with Brest's Achraf Dari. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Brest v Olympique de Marseille - Stade Francis-Le Ble, Brest, France - August 14, 2022 Olympique de Marseille's Alexis Sanchez in action with Brest's Achraf Dari. (Reuters)

Alexis Sanchez came off the bench to make his debut for Marseille as his new club drew 1-1 with Brest in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

The Chilean forward was named among the substitutes by coach Igor Tudor for the game in Brittany, four days after signing a one-year contract.

He was introduced at the start of the second half but did not have a major influence on the game as Marseille failed to hold onto the lead given to them in the first half at the Stade Francis-Le Ble by Nuno Tavares.

Portuguese left-back Tavares scored his second goal in as many games since joining Marseille on loan from Arsenal to put his new side ahead shortly before half-time.

He converted a cross from Jonathan Clauss, only for Pierre Lees-Melou to equalize for Brest with a superb strike just after the hour mark, AFP said.

Former Barcelona and Arsenal star Sanchez, who has won 143 caps for Chile, joined Marseille as a free agent after terminating his contract with Inter Milan.

He started just nine games for Inter last season, but Marseille are hoping his experience will prove invaluable in the Champions League group stage.

Tudor's side have four points from a possible six in Ligue 1, with Sunday's draw following a 4-1 win over Reims last week.

Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are already two points clear at the top of the table after just two games.

They followed a 5-0 win at Clermont on the opening weekend by beating Montpellier 5-2 on Saturday, with Neymar scoring twice and Kylian Mbappe once.



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.