Hady Habib's historic run at the Australian Open is over after the Lebanese player was beaten in straight sets by Ugo Humbert on Wednesday.
Habib had become the first man from his country to win a Grand Slam main draw match when he defeated China's Bu Yunchaokete at the weekend.
He had already made history by coming through three qualifying-round matches to reach the main draw at Melbourne Park but Humbert proved a step too far, with the French 14th seed securing a confident 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Habib's dream might be over but he can still look back in pride at his run Down Under. “I always had goals to play these big tournaments, but at times it seemed very far, I’m not going to lie,” the Texas-born 26-year-old said after beating Bu.
“I had some challenging moments in my career playing for a small country with limited financial help from the government.
“The energy that I felt on the court from the fans, it literally pushed me to get that win. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Novak Djokovic, looking to make it 11 titles in Melbourne, defeated Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 to seal his spot in the third round.
It was the 37-year-old's 430th singles match at a major to claim sole ownership of most ever played, men or women, in the Open Era ahead of Roger Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423).
“I love this sport. I love competition,” Djokovic said when asked about the milestone after beating the 21-year-old.
“I try to give my best every single time. It's been over 20 years that I've been competing in Grand Slams at the highest level.
“Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I'm just blessed to be making another record.”
Clinching the title would also take him clear of Australia's Margaret Court and become the first player to 25 Grand Slam crowns.
Djokovic, who had new coach Andy Murray watching from the stands, now faces Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac next and is drawn to meet Spain's red-hot Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz dropped just five games in an ominous display to sprint into the third round where he will take on Portugal's Nuno Borges.
The third seed showed no mercy to Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 rout in 81 minutes.
“The less time you spend on court in the Grand Slams, especially in the beginning, it is going to be better,” said Alcaraz, who is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Sixth seed Casper Ruud was sent spinning out of the tournament after being beaten 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 by Czech teenager Jakub Mensik under the lights at Margaret Court Arena.
Ruud became the fourth top 10 seed to fall at the tournament following Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov.
In the women's draw, Olympic champion and last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen was beaten 7-6, 6-3 by Laura Siegemund of Germany.
The fifth seed left the court looking like she was about to burst into tears while world No 97 Siegemund was beaming from ear to ear after a famous win.
“Maybe today is not my day,” Zheng, 22, said. “There's a lot of details in the important points. I didn't do the right choice.”
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka dropped her serve three times and faced 11 break points before overcoming Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5, rattling off the last five games in a row.
“She played incredible tennis today and it was a really tough one. I expected this tennis from her, I'm really glad I was able to win this match,” said Sabalenka, who beat Zheng in the 2024 final and tackles unseeded Dane Clara Tauson next.
The win kept the Belarusian world No 1 on course for a hat-trick of Australian Open titles, a feat last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis.
Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 champion in Australia but now unseeded, stormed back to defeat 20th seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Osaka called it a “little revenge” for defeat at the US Open in August to the Czech. Up next is Swiss Belinda Bencic, who returned to the tour late last year after giving birth to her daughter.
Third seed Coco Gauff made heavy weather of British battler Jodie Burrage before claiming a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
The 20-year-old American set up an intriguing duel against former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez for a place in the fourth round.
“It was tough. She was serving really well, so I was just trying to manage that, honestly,” said Gauff.
“She really stepped her level up in the middle of the second set so I was just trying to be offensive as much as I could.”
American seventh seed Jessica Pegula, beaten in the US Open final by Sabalenka last year, eased through 6-4, 6-2 against Belgium's Elise Mertens to set up a third-round clash with Serbia's Olga Danilovic.
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Racecard
7pm: Abu Dhabi - Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.30pm: Dubai - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
8pm: Sharjah - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m
9pm: Umm Al Quwain - The Entisar - Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Rasi, Harry Bentley (jockey), Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi (trainer).
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m; Winner: Ya Hayati, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Magic Lily, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Eynhallow, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Honeymoonish
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