In an impressive display, Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo breezed into the second round of qualifying at the Madrid Open tennis tournament, securing a solid 6-3, 6-3 victory against American Nicolas Moreno De Alboran on Monday.
The 23-year-old Diallo, who holds the third seed in the qualifying round for this prestigious ATP Masters clay-court event, showcased his powerful serve with an astonishing nine aces, while Moreno De Alboran managed only one.
Standing tall at six-foot-eight, the Canadian athlete excelled by saving the lone break point he encountered. He also converted three out of seven break opportunities, sealing one of those in a crucial deciding game.
Next up for Diallo is a clash against Croatian veteran Borna Coric on Tuesday, with a coveted spot in the main draw at stake. Coric edged past Finland’s Otto Virtanen with a score of 6-7 (1), 7-5, 6-2 on Monday.
Ranked 78th in the world, Diallo recently made headlines by reaching the main draws in two consecutive Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami, where he faced France’s Arthur Fils in the second round on both occasions.
Fellow Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime (seeded 18) from Montreal and Denis Shapovalov (seeded 29) from Richmond Hill enjoy first-round byes as seeded players in the main draw of Madrid.
On the women’s side, 25th-seed Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, is set for a first-round bye, while 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga, Ontario, continues her journey back from injury, gearing up for a match against American McCartney Kessler on Wednesday.
