Monday Digest: Diallo Into Top 100 After Almaty Final Run – Tennis Canada

Gabriel Diallo is starting to come into his own on the ATP Tour. 

The former NCAA standout has been progressing since turning pro last year but took a giant leap forward last week with his best result yet on the main tour, which has launched him into the Top 100 in the rankings. 

Here’s what you need to know. 

In Case You Missed It: Breakthrough for Diallo 

The last 14 months or so have seen steady progress for 23-year-old Gabriel Diallo and he hit yet another milestone last week, reaching his first-career final on the ATP Tour at the Almaty Open. 

Coming into the 250 event, Diallo had never won more than two matches in the main draw of a tour-level event and had never even reached a quarter-final. He got to the final eight by defeating former Masters 1000 winner Borna Coric in straight sets. He then reached his first semifinal with a comeback win over second seed Alejandro Tabillo before punching his ticket to his first final with a straight-set win over fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo. 

In the final, he gave world No. 26 Karen Khachanov all he could handle but ultimately came up just short, falling in three sets. 

As a result of his career-best run on tour to date, Diallo now finds himself inside the Top 100 on the ATP Tour rankings for the first time, jumping up to a new career-high of No. 87 in the world. He also passes Denis Shapovalov to become the Canadian No. 2. 

Diallo sits only behind Félix Auger-Aliassime among the Canadians on the ATP Tour. The Canadian No. 1 reached the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event in Antwerp, which he won in 2022, last week, falling in a third-set tiebreak to Roberto Bautista Agut. 

Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe reached the semifinals of the WTA 250 event in Osaka, Japan last week but withdrew prior to the match. 

What to Watch: Big Title Defence Ahead for Auger-Aliassime 

The pressure is on Félix Auger-Aliassime this week in Basel, where he is the two-time defending champion. A strong result in Switzerland is critical for the Canadian’s ranking as the 500 points he has to defend represent almost 25 per cent of his total ranking points. 

In order to avoid a massive hit to his ranking, and to become just the second player along with Roger Federer to win three straight titles in Basel, he may have to go through one of his fellow Canadians as he and Denis Shapovalov are on a quarter-final collision course. 

First, Auger-Aliassime will have to defeat Sebastian Baez in the first round followed by either James Duckworth or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. For his part, Shapovalov needs to beat Juncheng Shang in his opener and then take out either No. 2 seed Casper Ruud or Robert Bautista Agut, who beat Auger-Aliassime last week in Antwerp. 

Read also: Throwback to Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Three-Title Run in October 2022

If either Canadian gets through to the semis, they are projected to face No. 4 seed Holger Rune. Andrey Rublev is the top seed and a potential finals opponent. Stefanos Tsitsipas is also in the top half of the draw. 

Back in Asia, the Canadians got off to a strong start on Monday at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo, with both Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Annie Fernandez winning their first-round matches. 

Read also: Revisiting Rafael Nadal’s Five Titles at the National Bank Open

For Andreescu, her straight-set win over Mei Yamaguchi was her first match win since the first round of the Olympics in July, snapping a five-match losing streak. She will have her hands full in the second round with second seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. 

Fernandez had to battle a little harder in her opener, dropping the opening set but taking the second and racing ahead 5-2 in the third when her opponent, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, retired. The Canadian No. 1 will play Varvara Gracheva in the second round with top seed Qinwen Zheng potentially looming in the quarter-finals.  

Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe are the top seeds in the doubles. 

Under the Radar: Canadian Women Clean Up in Calgary 

Another week of professional tennis in Alberta and more great results for the host nation. This time it was further south in Calgary where Rebecca Marino won the singles title and Kayla Cross was crowned champion in the doubles. 

Click here to read the full Calgary National Bank Challenger recap.

The final national championships of 2024 took place last week in Bedford, NS, with Thomas Venos, Mitch McIntyre, and Frédérique Bérubé-Perron each picking up a pair of trophies at the Birmingham National Wheelchair Tennis Championships. 

Click here to read the full Birmingham Nationals recap.

Abroad, Dasha Plekhanova came close to winning her first professional singles title, reaching the final at the W15 event in Huamantla, Mexico. She lost in the final to Malaika Rapolu of the United States in two tight sets. 

Domestic ITF action continues this week. The ITF Tour moves east for a W75 event in Saguenay, QC. Nine Canadians received direct entry to the singles draw with two more still alive in qualifying. 

Marino and Billie Jean King Cup teammate Marina Stakusic are both competing at a WTA 125 event in Tampico, Mexico this week. 

You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.