Moments after pulling off the greatest achievement of his thriving career, with the crowd on a raucous Court 13 chanting his name, Hady Habib collapsed into his chair and stared straight ahead in total disbelief. Merely competing at this stage was an incredible feat, but the 26-year-old keeps on taking his game to new heights.

Already the first Lebanese tennis player in the Open Era to reach the main draw of a grand slam tournament, on Sunday Habib became the first to win a match at a major after an immense performance in the first round of the Australian Open yielded a sublime 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over Bu Yunchaokete of China. It is his first-ever top-100 victory.

“This is probably one of the best days of my career honestly,” he said. “It’s such an incredible feeling to get this win not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis. As you guys could see there, the crowd was absolutely wild. It made it even more special to win in front of them.”

Habib’s trailblazing success is even more significant considering it has come at a time of war in his country. The past year has been a period of unimaginable pain for many Lebanese people as the country continues to pick up the pieces following Israel’s airstrikes and ground invasion of Lebanon, which have killed nearly 4,000 people, destroyed whole towns and villages, and displaced more than a million people.

With Habib’s parents, other family and friends still living in Lebanon, he has spent much of the past year glued to his phone every morning as he has tried to check that his loved ones were all OK. His success has provided an unlikely source of inspiration for Lebanese people. “It’s a huge win, especially what we’ve been going through as a country,” he said. “I think to bring something positive, especially, we’ve been having a rough time with the war. We had our other issues in the past. It’s just nice to get this win for Lebanon and for the people.”

Over the past two decades, Habib’s journey towards the top levels of professional tennis has taken him around the world. He was born in Houston, Texas, but his family returned to Lebanon when he was six years old. It was in Lebanon that he picked up tennis and began to learn his craft, but with their limited tennis infrastructure, he needed to train elsewhere in order to make it on the professional tour.

Still, representing Lebanon was essential: “I grew up [there] and just the values that they have there and the people,” he says. “I just wanted to represent the country that I’ve lived in and been a part of the tennis culture and everyone back home. It’s a decision I made at a young age. It just gives me the motivation to keep going. To play for a small country is something special for me.”

So many things had to go right for Habib to reach these heights. Going into the final week of competition on the ATP Challenger Tour last year, Habib was ranked No 320 and about 100 places below the Australian Open cut-off for the qualifying draw of the tournament. He ended his year with his best result at the time, winning a surprise first ATP Challenger title in Temuco, Chile, a result that catapulted him into a grand slam qualifying draw for the first time. It is rare for a debutant to qualify on the first occasion, yet three wins later Habib had held his nerve to reach the main draw this week and he has now won a match at the highest level.

“The support I’ve been getting these last couple days have been incredible,” said Habib. “My phone has been absolutely blowing up. Just all my family back home. I actually have some family from Sydney that came out to watch. It’s been a special time for me to have all the Lebanese people join in the community. I felt the energy out there. They definitely helped me get through that win tonight.”