MIAMI — In an electrifying encounter at the Miami Open, Montreal’s own Gabriel Diallo triumphed over Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki, overcoming a brief mid-match setback to secure victory in a singles qualifying match on Monday.
The 23-year-old Diallo, the sixth seed in the qualifying draw for this prestigious Masters-level event, clinched the match with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-3, completing the contest in just under two hours. With main-round action set to kick off on Wednesday and continue until March 30, the stakes are high in this ATP 1000 tournament.
Both competitors served up an impressive 10 aces each, though Watanuki struggled with 32 unforced errors, while Diallo recorded 24. The decisive factor of the match was Diallo’s prowess on second serves, winning an impressive 71 percent of points compared to Watanuki’s 41 percent.
Diallo successfully saved one break point, whereas Watanuki managed to fend off just one of the four break points against him.
In earlier matches, Alexis Galarneau from Laval, Quebec, and Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, faced disappointing defeats. Galarneau initially took the lead but ultimately succumbed to Russia’s Pavel Kotov, losing 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 as Kotov broke him in crucial moments in the second and fourth games of the final set.
On the other hand, Christopher O’Connell, the fourth seed from Australia, executed a critical break in the 12th game to secure the first set against Draxl, who struggled in the second, ultimately falling 7-5, 6-0 after only winning six points in that set.
