Hady Habib becomes the first man representing Lebanon to win a Grand Slam singles match

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Hady Habib's history-making run at the Australian Open will continue after the first man to represent Lebanon in a Grand Slam singles tournament in the Open era became the first to win a match, defeating Bu Yunchaokete of China 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6) on Sunday in front of a loud group of supporters.

“This is probably one of the best days of my career, honestly. It’s such an incredible feeling to get this win — not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis,” said the 26-year-old Habib, who is ranked outside the top 200 on the ATP Tour. “As you guys could see there, the crowd was absolutely wild. It made it even more special to win in front of them. ... I felt the energy out there.”

Habib was born in Houston, Texas, and played college tennis while a student at Texas A&M University.

In between, he lived in Lebanon — where his father is from — from the ages of about 6 to 12, he explained, and picked up the sport there. He represented Lebanon at the Paris Olympics last year, losing to four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.

His sporting success has come during a war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A fragile ceasefire deal was struck in November after more than a year of fighting.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023 — the day after Hamas launched a deadly attack into Israel that led to the ongoing war in Gaza. Subsequent Israeli air and ground assaults have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians.

“It’s a huge win, especially what we’ve been going through as a country,” Habib said. “It’s just nice to get this win for Lebanon and for the people.”

Habib said he decided to play for Lebanon when he was 15.

“I just wanted to represent the country that I’ve lived in, and been a part of the tennis culture. ... It’s a decision I made at a young age,” he said. “Just gives me the motivation to keep going. To play for a small country is something special for me.”

He won three matches in qualifying rounds for lower-ranked players last week just to get into the field of 128 players at Melbourne Park.

Now Habib is one of the 64 men to make it into the second round — where he'll go up against 14th-seeded Ugo Humbert of France — after his victory on Day 1, which was achieved with the help of 61 winners, 36 more than his opponent.

“There’s obviously a lot of tension and normal thoughts you have ... but I try to focus on things I can control,” Habib said. “That’s what seems to help me.”

Bu Yunchaokete of China plays a backhand return to Hady Habib of Lebanon during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Hady Habib of Lebanon plays a forehand return to Bu Yunchaokete of China during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Hady Habib of Lebanon reacts after winning a point against Bu Yunchaokete of China during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)