In a disappointing turn of events at the Eastbourne Open, Canada’s Gabriel Diallo faced elimination in the quarterfinals, falling to Britain’s Jack Draper with scores of 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday.
Draper secured the upper hand in the second set, breaking Diallo’s serve for the fourth time at 5-4, and then confidently served out the match to clinch victory.
Despite Diallo’s impressive 10 aces and a flawless record on double-faults, he managed to win only 51 percent of his service points, highlighting a challenging match.
This quarterfinal marked Diallo’s first of the season as he gears up for Wimbledon, which kicks off next week.
Draper, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 during the last year’s grass-court season, has faced setbacks due to persistent knee tendinitis and a bone bruise in his serving arm that sidelined him for the clay-court season this year.
Now ranked No. 160 entering Eastbourne, the 24-year-old Brit is set to challenge sixth seed Ugo Humbert of France in the semifinals of the ATP 250 tournament.
