Benjamin Hassan became the first Lebanese tennis player to win a match at the Olympics on Sunday after defeating former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks in straight sets.
The 29-year-old, ranked 170 in the world, overcame the American – who has reached a career high of No 29 in the rankings – 6-4, 6-2 at Roland Garros.
Eubanks enjoyed a memorable surge on to the tennis scene in 2023 when claimed his maiden ATP Tour title in Mallorca and reached his first major quarter-final on the All England Club grass, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
But Eubanks has struggled this season, he is currently No 105 in the world, and was brushed aside by a player who has never been beyond the second round in a Grand Slam.
“I worked a lot with the second serve as a first serve. I think he didn't know what happened, actually,” said 29-year-old Hassan. “Like, he didn't get used to my rhythm because there was no rhythm.”
Hassan was born in Germany after his father Zaki fled the Lebanon civil war in the 1980s.
Despite being German-born, Hassan has represented Lebanon in the Davis Cup since 2018 and on Sunday was carried to victory by loud, passionate support out on Court 11.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere. I'm just trying to be calm because I don't want to waste too much energy to get with the crowd,” he said.
“I had that in the past where I lost much energy throughout the whole match. I try to be calm, focused, and then when I win I can let it out.”
He will face either Argentina's Sebastian Baez or Thiago Monteiro of Brazil in the next round.
Before that, however, he is on a pin hunt to complete his collection from all the competing nations. “I still need two more, but I'm out of pins because I want one from Thailand and Korea. I think the most special one is Japan because I'm a huge fan of Japan. I like watching a lot of animated mangas,” he added.
Jordan's Zeyad Ishaish made the perfect start to his medal bid in boxing's 71kg division with a stunning victory over Kazakhstan's Aslanbek Shymbergenov. Shymbergenov, the reigning Asian and world champion, was fancied for a medal himself but was taken out by Ishaish, who edged a 3-2 split decision victory on Sunday.
Ishaish, 25, will now face Japan's Sewon Okazawa, the 2021 world gold medal winner at welterweight, for a place in the quarter-finals.
Should he get that far then he will meet either Lewis Richardson of Team GB or Serbia's Vakhid Abbasov.
Ishaish and Okazawa have met three times previously with the Japanese fighter leading the head-to-head 2-1. He won their first fight five years ago but Ishaish has improved markedly since then. Their two most recent bouts were shared one win apiece and both settled by split decision.
Zeyad's older brother Hussein starts his campaign at 80kg on Tuesday.
Speaking to The National before the Games, the brothers talked about how the pursuit of their Olympic dream has created a special bond between them.
“We are more than just brothers, we are friends,” explained Zeyad. “We used to box against each other and our ambition was to qualify for the Olympics. Thank God we made it.
“We are the type of brothers who spent their lifetime together, people think we are friends not brothers.
“It's a great feeling to be qualified for the Olympics. After I saw my brother compete in 2016, I was really motivated to join him one day and book our tickets together.”
The Jordanian boxing team are now two wins from two at the Games following Abada Al Kasbeh's victory over Ireland's Dean Clancy in the 63.5kg division yesterday.
Egyptian duo Doaa Elghobashy and Marwa Abdelhady put up a brave fight before falling to defeat against Brazil in their beach volleyball opener at Eiffel Tower Stadium on Sunday.
Elghobashy and Abdelhady lost the first set 21-14 before the running the Brazilian pair of Ana Patricia and Duda Lisboa even closer in the second but eventually went down 21-19.
Next up for Egypt will be Italy on Tuesday before their final Pool A game against Spain on Thursday.
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
8.15pm: UAE Oaks | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
