Davis Cup: against Monaco, the princes were Lebanese
Lebanon ensured its return to World Group 1 of the Davis Cup by beating Monaco (3-2) in the play-off matches on Saturday at Zouk Mosbeh.
The Lebanese tennis team beat its Monegasque counterpart (3-2) on Saturday in the World Group 1 Davis Cup play-offs. But the victory was slow to emerge for Lebanon insofar as the players of the Principality defended their skin dearly.
It was Hady Habib who delivered Lebanon by winning the last match against Hugo Nys. But a few hours earlier, the Monegasque tandem, Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys, had brought Monaco within one point of Lebanon (2-1) by overcoming the Lebanese pair Benjamin Hassan and Hasan Ibrahim in three sets (2-6, 7-6, 6-4). Then, for the fourth meeting of this Lebanese-Monegasque duel, the third in singles, Benjamin Hassan, who had only provided a short half-hour’s rest, bowed to Valentin Vacherot who was fresh and laid out in two sets the seconds (3-6, 6-7).
The fifth and last decisive match then opposed Hady Habib to Hugo Nys. The Lebanese (ATP 358), back to the wall had no room for error. He justified all the good we had of him by beating his opponent of the day without firing a shot, with a score of 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 sealing the victory of the country of Cedar. The Lebanese had won the two singles the day before. The matches took place on Friday and Saturday on the courts of Notre Dame University (NDU) in Zouk Mosbeh.
Lebanon return to Group 1
As a result, Lebanon rejoined the world group 1 of the Davis Cup. He was demoted to Group 2 after losing to Switzerland in March.
As a reminder, the Davis Cup is considered the queen event of world tennis. Lebanon have been competing in it since 1957. It is the largest team sports competition in the world with 125 participating nations. It is also the most prestigious international men’s tennis competition. It is characterized by a “World” group comprising 16 nations and then several groups divided by regions and levels.
Since 2019, the Davis Cup formula has evolved under the command of the Kosmos group, owned by footballer Gérard Piqué. After adjustments in recent years, the 2022 edition will still see some new features. Then disputed in a single block at the end of the season, the new “new” formula is this time split into two: a group stage in September in four different cities and another bringing together all the sixteen nations qualified last March. Lebanon is not (yet) part of the world elite. For the moment, he is “only” part of the groups.
Note that the grounds of the NDU are hard. These surfaces are successful for players with so-called fast spinnerets. They are able, in 2 or 3 moves, to win the point. This therefore favors big punchers (strong hits from the baseline) and also service and volley enthusiasts. On the other hand, they are quite demanding on the joints, and require good support.
Hady Habib, the hero
On Saturday, at the start of the second day of the doubles match, the Lebanese captain and coach, Fadi Youssef, tried a gamble by calling on the Lebanese number one, Benjamin Hassan. This choice did not pay off at all and the Lebanese pair Benjamin Hassan and Hasan Ibrahim sank body and soul against Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys (2-6, 7-6, 6-4). A few minutes later, this same Benjamin Hassan, exhausted, presented himself against Valentin Vacherot who did not have to force his talent to beat him and put the two teams equal (2-2).
All Lebanese hopes then rested on Hady Habib, who was called up to play the fifth and final match. Supported by a large audience, fully committed to his cause, he launched the meeting with a bang. He easily won the first set 6 to 2. In the second set, Hugo Nys reacted well and pocketed the second set with difficulty on the score of 7-6. In the 3rd and final round, the highly motivated Hady Habib was virtually untouchable. He managed the end of the match well, which he ended with the advantage of Lebanon 6-2 and sealed (finally!) the Lebanese victory brilliantly. The public then asked in this young player of 24 years a new hero. Recall that Hady Habib was born in Houston, Texas where he is a resident. He was promoted from Texas A&M University in May 2021. Graduating, he has since dedicated himself to tennis in his own right.
By the grace of its victory, Lebanon finds a new group 1. The stake was therefore colossal for the national players in this Davis Cup. It was a question of getting up after the failure of the previous round against Switzerland. The Lebanese did not miss this opportunity. They did it with style. For a weekend, the real princes were them.