SHELBAYH INTO RAFAEL NADAL OPEN QUARTER-FINALS

Abdullah Shelbayh made tennis history when he stunned top seed Dominic Stricker 6-2, 7-5 at the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s.
The 18-year-old became the first player from Jordan to win a match in ATP Challenger Tour history.
Shelbayh converted his third match point to upset the World No. 127 and collect his maiden win over a Top-200 player at the Challenger event in Mallorca, Spain.
“I went in with the mentality to win,” Shelbayh said. “He was a tough opponent, he just won a Challenger right before the US Open. My coaches were just like ‘Give it all and try to enjoy the moment!’ But when I went to sleep, after the adrenaline and everything, I started thinking about every single point of the match. It's a great feeling, and gives me a lot of confidence for upcoming matches.”
Now in the quarter-finals of the Mallorca Challenger after next round opponent Adrian Menendez Maceiras withdrew midway through their second-round match, Shelbayh didn’t realise before his first-round match that a win would seal Jordan tennis history. The Amman native hopes this week’s run will inspire other Jordanians to follow.
“It’s surreal,” Shelbayh said. “To do something for your country is a big achievement. I come from a small country where tennis is not a big sport and to do that, it means a lot to me to be in the history of my country. I actually never thought about that entering the match, but it feels amazing. I hope many players from Jordan show their talent in the near future and I can inspire them as much as possible.”
Although his first ATP win came far from his Jordan home, it was only fitting it came at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Shelbayh has trained since he was 14-years-old.
Shelbayh is at a career-high No. 532 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Should he advance to the semi-finals at the Mallorca Challenger, he would break through into the Top 500 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Next up for the Jordanian rising star is the winner of Switzerland’s Leandro Reddy and Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Popko.