Gabriel Diallo made the call during the Almaty run | ATP Tour

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Diallo scored during the exit of the Almaty run

Cousin, Canadian is delighted to reach the first final of the ATP Tour

October 18, 2024

Gabriel Diallo will not soon forget this week’s Almaty Open and not just because of what the Canadian did on the court.

Yes, Diallo reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final and now a semifinal to move closer to the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings benchmark. But the 23-year-old young lady also met an elderly family member on her mother’s side for the first time.

“Here I met my cousin whom I have never seen in my life,” he said. “My cousin lives here in Almaty and has been coming to my matches, so it’s very special. And I think that’s something that helped me all week.”

Diallo even intends to tour the area with his cousin after his last game.

That may still be a few days away, as the 6-foot-8 big server defeated Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 during the high-rise in Almaty on Friday to reach the last four.

A hip injury affected the Montrealer at the beginning of the year to stop the momentum gained at the end of 2023.

But the former University of Kentucky standout said winning the Chicago Challenger in late July without dropping a set proved crucial to his rise. In all the matches since that Challenger began, Diallo sported a 27-7 record.

Having risen to No. 103 in the rankings in September after a third-round showing to qualify for the US Open, Diallo’s live ranking surpassed the Top 100 immediately after defeating Canadian-born Tabilo.

“It would be good to continue, continue to climb the rankings but we are more focused on the program for sure,” said Diallo.

It was a measured response from the well-spoken Diallo but he admits he spends his time looking at rankings.

“I do, especially after last week. I had to defend points and I managed to defend a lot,” said Diallo, who won the Bratislava Challenger 12 months ago. “So I knew I would get there. Before I started in Almaty I was 118, now I’m just inside (Top 100) but there are guys behind me who are hungry, playing with them, trying to move. So I have to stay focused and do my part.”

In his ATP main draw career, Diallo achieved another best Friday by tying up 70 of his second-round points against the second seed.

“It’s really good because you don’t want to be so one-sided that if you don’t feed the first time, you know you’re in big trouble,” she said.

He is the type of player who likes to celebrate milestones without skipping a beat when his tournament is over. That might mean eating a small piece of cake, one beer, a glass of wine or at home, enjoying poutine.

What he achieved in Almaty is undoubtedly worth celebrating, even if Diallo lost on Saturday against fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo. The tournament hotel may be the starting point.

“The view is crazy from the hotel,” said Diallo. “We found the mountains.”