Gabriel Diallo seems to have discovered his new favorite playing surface.
The talented Canadian secured another victory on grass this Tuesday, triumphing over Serbia’s Laslo Djere with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the Round of 16 at the Mallorca Championships.
Diallo executed his second break of the match to lead 5-3 in the final set, then powered through to match point with consecutive aces before clinching the win after one hour and 47 minutes.
The 23-year-old sixth seed displayed remarkable form, winning 83 percent of his first-serve points, landing 10 aces, and saving three of the four break points he encountered.
After entering the tournament ranked a career-high No. 41, Diallo is on track to break into the top 40 with his performance.
Next, he is set to face fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands, who previously defeated Diallo in their only encounter at this year’s French Open.
Diallo recorded his first ATP Tour title during the grass season at the Libema Open in the Netherlands and is gearing up for his debut at Wimbledon, having missed out in the qualifying rounds in previous years.
He has now competed in three consecutive Grand Slam main draws since his loss in the second round of qualifying at the All England Club back in 2024.
Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Auger-Aliassime made his crucial break on a double-fault from Rinderknech, leading 5-3 in the second set, before serving out the match in just under one hour and 53 minutes.
The 24-year-old, currently ranked No. 27 in the world, will next face Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic.
Auger-Aliassime is chasing momentum on grass in Mallorca as he heads into his sixth Wimbledon main draw, aiming for a better outcome than in the first rounds of the last three editions after reaching the quarterfinals in 2021.
On a different note, Leylah Fernandez is also preparing for Wimbledon.
The Canadian faced an exit in her final grass-court warm-up, bowing out in the Round of 16 at the Bad Homburg Open, losing a tightly contested match 7-6 (8), 7-6 (6) to second-seeded Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Fernandez struck seven aces, but four double-faults hampered her effort as both players converted five break points during the engaging match.
Paolini will take on seventh-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals.
The Laval, Que. native now awaits her opportunity at Wimbledon, where the main draw is set to kick off on Monday.
–with files from The Canadian Press
