Gabriel Diallo achieved a significant victory by defeating Russian third seed Karen Khachanov in straight sets, with scores of 7-6 (8-6) and 6-4, securing his place in the semifinals of the grass court tournament in Bois-le-Duc, Netherlands, on Friday.
The 23-year-old Québécois will next face French player Ugo Humbert, the tournament’s second seed, who won his quarterfinal match against Portuguese Nuno Borges with a score of 6-1 and 6-4. Diallo’s performance was stellar, amassing 19 aces compared to Khachanov’s 7 and winning 74% of points on his first serves. He effectively dismissed four out of five break points he faced while breaking Khachanov’s serve two times during the match.
Following this impressive win, Diallo is expected to climb to the 48th spot in the ATP rankings, marking his first entry into the top 50 of his career, a significant milestone for the rising star.
On a less positive note, Canadian Bianca Andreescu experienced a setback as she lost to Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse with a score of 6-2 and 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Andreescu fell behind early in the first set, finding it challenging to mount a comeback, as she aimed for her first semifinal appearance of the season. This match marked Ruse’s second victory in a row against a Canadian player, having previously defeated Carson Branstine in the second round.
The emerging success of Diallo is a promising indication of the upcoming talent in Canadian tennis, while Andreescu will be looking to regroup and bounce back in her future competitions.