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Lebanon's Hassan Makes History with Win Over Eubanks

Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
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Lebanon's Hassan Makes History with Win Over Eubanks

Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Christopher Eubanks (USA) hits the ball against Benjamin Hassan (LBN) in the men’s tennis singles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights

Benjamin Hassan secured a landmark victory on Sunday as he became the first Lebanon player to win a match in an Olympic tennis event, stunning American Christopher Eubanks.

Germany-born Hassan, ranked 170th in the world, won 6-4 6-2 for one of the best victories of his career to fully vindicate being handed a Universality place by the ITF.

"I am unbelievably happy. We just enjoy it from the whole team. We are really proud and I'm also proud of myself," the 29-year-old told reporters.

"It was an unbelievable atmosphere. I was just trying to be calm because I didn't want to waste too much energy. When I won I could let it all out."

According to Reuters, Hassan did not even set about becoming a professional until the age of 22, having previously played just for fun. But now he is living the dream as an Olympian and has a second-round clash against Argentina's Sebastian Baez to look forward to.

He has thrown himself into life in the athletes village, amassing quite a collection of pins. "I think the most special one is Japan because I'm a huge fan of Japan. I like watching a lot of animated mangas," he said.

Hassan was not the only Lebanon player in the draw as Hady Habib lost to French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday.

Hassan and Habib also lost in the doubles on Sunday.

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Olympic Organizers Cancel Second Day of Triathlon Training in Seine over Pollution

French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP
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Olympic Organizers Cancel Second Day of Triathlon Training in Seine over Pollution

French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. JOEL SAGET / AFP

Olympic organizers canceled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine planned for Monday after weekend downpours in Paris polluted the waterway, but said they were "confident" the medal events would be held this week.
In a joint statement, Paris 2024 organizers and World Triathlon said they had taken the decision to cancel Monday's swimming training session because "water quality levels... do not present sufficient guarantees" to allow it to take place, Agence France Presse said.
The triathlon is the first Olympic event due to be held in the Seine, before marathon swimming in the second week of the Games. A swimming training session slated for Sunday was also canceled due to the pollution levels.
The men's individual triathlon is scheduled to start on Tuesday at 8:00 am (06000 GMT), with the women's individual event to be held on Wednesday.
The quality of the Seine's water is dependent on the amount of rain that falls in and around Paris.
Heavy downpours of the sort seen on Friday during the sodden opening ceremony of the Games overwhelm the city's sewage system, leading to discharges of untreated effluent into the waterway.
The Paris 2024 organizers and World Triathlon, however, said they were "confident" that water quality would improve sufficiently before the start of competition on Tuesday, taking into account the weather forecast for the next 48 hours.
After downpours on Friday and Saturday, the sun has returned to the French capital since Sunday morning.
Due to an exceptionally wet spring and start to summer, the Seine had been consistently failing water tests until the start of July.
Levels of the E.Coli bacteria -- an indicator of fecal matter -- were sometimes 10 times higher than authorized limits.
Paris 2024 organizers have the ability to delay the outdoor swimming events by several days in the event of rain.
As a last resort, they have said they will cancel the swimming leg of the triathlon and move the marathon swimming to Vaires-sur-Marne, on the Marne river east of Paris.
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the last decade to clean up the Seine.
On July 17, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine along with Paris 2024 chief organizer Tony Estanguet to demonstrate it was ready for the Olympics.