Gabriel Diallo gave a commendable fight against Karen Khachanov, but the spirited Canadian couldn’t clinch the upset at the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old from Montreal faced a tough challenge, ultimately falling 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to the Russian, who holds the No. 19 seed, during the second round of the season’s opening Grand Slam on Thursday.
This match marked a rematch of the Almaty Open final held in October, where Khachanov emerged victorious in three sets, as Diallo made his debut in an ATP Tour championship match.
Khachanov had previously defeated Diallo, currently ranked 86th, in the first round of the National Bank Open last year in Montreal.
In another disappointment for Canadian tennis, Denis Shapovalov also exited in the second round in Melbourne on Thursday, losing to Italy’s No. 16 seed, Lorenzo Musetti, with a score of 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6), 6-2.
The Richmond Hill, Ont. native struggled with his composure during the first-set tiebreak and double-faulted on critical set point in the second.
After a timeout due to injury, Shapovalov found himself broken in the opening game of the third set, allowing Musetti to cruise to victory.
Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime also faced an early exit in the second round on Wednesday.
As it stands, Leylah Fernandez remains the sole Canadian contender in the women’s singles draw and is set to take on the formidable No. 3 seed Coco Gauff from the U.S. in the upcoming third round.
