Rafa Nadal Academy's Abdullah Shelbayh makes history, earns first ever ATP Challenger title for Jordan

Abdullah Shelbayh has won his first trophy as a tennis professional in Charleston, USA, making ATP Challenger history in the process.

On Sunday, October 1, Shelbayh, a product of the Rafa Nadal Academy, faced home favorite Oliver Crawford, who reached the final playing without dropping a single set. He came from a set and a break down to beat the American 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 and take home the LTP Challenger singles title.

In doing so, Shelbayh became the first player from Jordan and the youngest player from an Arab country to win a title on the Challenger Tour. Following the triumph, the 19-year-old not only took home $10,840 in prize money but also rose 37 places in the ATP rankings and is now ranked World No. 240.

Shellbayh graduated from the Rafa Nadal International School and earned a scholarship to pursue both his tennis dreams and continue his studies at the University of Florida.

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"It was the best decision" - Abdullah Shelbayh on joining Rafa Nadal Academy

Abdullah Shelbayh at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in March 2023.

Abdullah Shelbayh has been making history on the tennis circuits in recent months. At the Rafa Nadal Open last year, he stunned top seed Dominic Stricker 6-2, 7-5 to become the first player from Jordan to win a match on the ATP Challenger Tour.

At the Manama Challenger at the start of the 2023 season, he became the first player ever from Jordan and the youngest Arab to reach a Challenger Tour final, where he beat the likes of Jason Kubler and Salvatore Caruso before falling to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the summit clash.

Later, Shelbayh became the first-ever player from Jordan to win a main-draw match on the ATP Tour when he defeated Sweden’s Elia Ymer 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the ATP 250 event in Banja Luka.

On his decision to join Rafa Nadal Academy on the sidelines of the Qatar Open, the 19-year-old stated that while it was a difficult decision to leave his home in Jordan, joining the academy in Mallorca was the best move to aid him in the pursuit of his tennis dreams.

"I know it was not an easy thing for me, but it was the best decision since tennis, as I said, is not a big sport in Jordan. If I would have stayed there, I wouldn't have been where I am right now," he said at a press conference.

"Yeah, I went there at the age of 14, so it was not easy to leave my family behind at such a young age. So it took me some time to kind of settle in, and, I mean, I needed to be mature, took some time, and that helped me become more mature and helped me kind of perform better on court later on," Shelbayh added.