Abdullah Shelbayh has the chance to become the first Jordanian man to reach a Grand Slam singles main draw after upsetting recently crowned Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hamad Medjedovic in the second round of Australian Open qualifying Thursday.
Shelbayh, who fell to the Serbian at the year-end tournament for the world’s best young players in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the end of last season, was two points from defeat in the second-set tie-break before finishing strong to win 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-2 after receiving treatment for cramps late in the third set.
“Of course I am very happy with the win. I knew it would ve a very tough match and a big battle,” said the 20-year-old from Amman. “We’ve known each other for quite a long time now and had a few battles, including recently at Next Gen, so I knew I needed to be prepared for a long match and fight until the very end.
“I’ve worked so hard to be in this position and now I’m one win away from being in the main draw, so I’m very excited."
For a place in the main draw World No. 185 Shelbayh will play Australian Omar Jasika, who is No. 341 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Jasika defeated 21-year-old American Zachary Svajda 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
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