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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.

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Sports

Brazil, Morocco Headline Group C as Scotland and Haiti Return to the World Cup

Moroccan fans cheer during a friendly soccer match between Morocco and Ecuador in Madrid, Spain, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Moroccan fans cheer during a friendly soccer match between Morocco and Ecuador in Madrid, Spain, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Brazil, Morocco Headline Group C as Scotland and Haiti Return to the World Cup

Moroccan fans cheer during a friendly soccer match between Morocco and Ecuador in Madrid, Spain, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Moroccan fans cheer during a friendly soccer match between Morocco and Ecuador in Madrid, Spain, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Five-time champion Brazil faces African powerhouse Morocco in Group C, which also includes Scotland and Haiti — two teams returning to the World Cup after long absences.

All matches will be played in the United States, with Brazil playing in New York, Philadelphia and Miami. Scotland will face both Haiti and Morocco in Boston, while Haiti and Morocco will play each other in Atlanta.

Brazil Brazil, the most successful nation in World Cup history, last won the title in 2002.

Since then it has been eliminated in the quarterfinal stage at every tournament except in 2014, when as host it reached the final four, but suffered a humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany.

Croatia sent the Brazilians home in a penalty shootout four years ago in Qatar.

This time Brazil will be led by Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Barcelona’s Raphinha. Madrid forward Rodrygo has been ruled out of the World Cup because of a knee injury.

The team was underperforming in World Cup qualifiers, including stinging losses to archrival Argentina, when the Brazilian soccer confederation recruited veteran coach Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid. Though he guided the team across the finish line, Brazil finished only fifth in South American qualifying.

Ancelotti has won five Champions League titles but at the World Cup his only coaching experience was as an assistant manager for Italy under Arrigo Sacchi during the 1994 tournament in the United States, when the Italians lost the final to Brazil.

Morocco finished fourth at the last World Cup — the best result ever by an African team. It beat Spain in the round of 16 and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual runner-up France in the last four.

The team is entering the World Cup fresh off a chaotic end to the Africa Cup of Nations, which it hosted in December and January. Morocco lost the final to Senegal but the result was overturned in March by the Confederation of African Football, which ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the field of play without the referee’s authorization.

Coach Walid Regragui quit after the final, and Morocco will have a new man in charge at the World Cup: Mohamed Ouahbi, who led Morocco’s under-20 team to the Youth World Cup title.

Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

Haiti The Caribbean country is set to make its second World Cup appearance, and first since 1974, after winning its CONCACAF qualifying group.

In 1974, Haiti was eliminated after three consecutive losses against Italy, Poland and Argentina. The team is likely to struggle against its group-stage opponents this time around as well.

Coached by Frenchman Sebastien Migne, Haiti currently sits in 83rd place in FIFA's world rankings, ahead of only New Zealand among the 48 teams that have qualified for the World Cup.

The team will be led by 32-year-old Duckens Nazon, the joint-top scorer in CONCACAF qualifying with six goals, including a hat-trick while coming off the bench in a 3-3 draw at Costa Rica.

Scotland Scotland will be playing in its first World Cup since 1998 thanks to a late win over Denmark in its final qualifier last year.

The team will be led by Scott McTominay, who scored one of the goals in the dramatic 4-2 win over Denmark that sealed Scotland’s return.

Coach Steve Clarke has been in charge since 2019 and will be the first man to lead the nation at three major tournaments. Scotland was eliminated in the group stage at the 2020 and 2024 European Championships.

It has never made it past the group stage in its eight previous World Cup appearances. It also faced Brazil in 1998, being narrowly beaten 2-1 by the then defending champion.

Sports

Organizers Postpone Imane Khelif’s April 23 Paris Fight after Shoulder Injury

Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
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Organizers Postpone Imane Khelif’s April 23 Paris Fight after Shoulder Injury

Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo

Olympic champion Imane Khelif injured her left shoulder while training over the weekend and was forced to postpone a professional fight scheduled for later this month in Paris.

Organizers said Monday that her April 23 fight at the iconic Salle Wagram in the French capital against German boxer Julia Igel was delayed to a date yet to be announced, The AP news reported.

“This decision follows the injury sustained by Imane Khelif during a training session this weekend in Paris,” the organizers said in a statement.

A medical examination carried out Monday revealed “a painful syndrome in the left shoulder,” they said. “Due to the intensity of the biomechanical demands involved in high-level boxing, the medical team deemed the athlete’s condition temporarily incompatible with competition.”

The event was also set to feature two bouts for WBA titles and organizers decided to reschedule the entire evening.

“The health and physical integrity of our athletes remain our absolute priority. We wish Imane Khelif a speedy recovery. At an event of this level, including WBA championships, it was essential to guarantee optimal conditions for all participating boxers,” said former boxer Brahim Asloum, the promoter of the gala.

Tickets already purchased will be refunded, organizers added.

Khelif won the Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting — another gold medal winner — and misconceptions over both boxers’ sex.

Both fighters were allowed to compete by the IOC after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association. The IBA claimed the women failed unspecified eligibility tests.

However, the IOC applied sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics and said Khelif and Lin passed.

World Boxing took over as the sport’s governing body last year, and it implemented a sex eligibility policy last August requiring all fighters to take a one-time genetic test designed to identify the presence of a Y chromosome. Khelif has not competed in World Boxing-sanctioned events since the implementation of the test.

Sports

Russian Swimmers to be Allowed to Compete with Flag and Anthem after Restrictions Dropped

Neutral Athlete Russia, Kliment Kolesnikov reacts after winning gold medal in the men’s 50-meter backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, on Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
Neutral Athlete Russia, Kliment Kolesnikov reacts after winning gold medal in the men’s 50-meter backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, on Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
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Russian Swimmers to be Allowed to Compete with Flag and Anthem after Restrictions Dropped

Neutral Athlete Russia, Kliment Kolesnikov reacts after winning gold medal in the men’s 50-meter backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, on Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
Neutral Athlete Russia, Kliment Kolesnikov reacts after winning gold medal in the men’s 50-meter backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, on Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

The governing body for international swimming and aquatic sports will allow athletes from Russia to compete without restrictions and with their national flag and anthem.

The decision marks a major shift in how a key sport treats Russia ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

World Aquatics said Monday it will remove restrictions which had required Russian and Belarusian athletes to be vetted and to compete under neutral status.

“Senior athletes with Belarusian or Russian sport nationality will be permitted to compete in World Aquatics events in the same way as their counterparts representing other sport nationalities, with their respective uniforms, flags and anthems,” World Aquatics said in a statement. It had previously relaxed the rules for junior athletes.

World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam added: “We are determined to ensure that pools and open water remain places where athletes from all nations can come together in peaceful competition.”

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov thanked Al Musallam “for his firm position on this issue” and said they'd discussed the issue together in January.

“It is very important that international sporting dialog is bearing fruit and enables the orderly restoration of sporting ties,” Degtyaryov, who also heads the Russian Olympic Committee, wrote on the social media app Max.

Ukraine has previously objected to efforts to allow Russian athletes to return to competition. Last month it led boycotts of the Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies after Russians were allowed to compete under their national flag.

Ukraine's men's water polo team appeared Monday to be forfeiting a scheduled World Cup game against a team of Russians competing as “Neutral Athlete B” in Malta, The AP news reported.

World Aquatics oversees sports like swimming, diving and water polo and is an influential voice in the Olympic movement. It says Russian and Belarusian athletes will have to undergo four anti-doping tests and “background checks” before competing after Monday's decision. It wasn't immediately clear what would be checked.

Its decision applies only to its own events like the world championships but could add momentum within the Olympic world for a full return of Russian athletes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the International Olympic Committee.

In December the IOC recommended removing restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes for international youth events and letting them compete under national flags. The IOC still kept its neutral requirements for senior competitions and Russians and Belarusians were officially referred to as “Individual Neutral Athletes” at the Winter Olympics in February.