Gabriel Diallo defeats Francisco Cerundolo to reach the final in Almaty | ATP Tour

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Diallo is dreaming! Canadian sinks Cerundolo to reach Maid Tour final in Almaty

The 23-year-old will break the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday

October 19, 2024

Gabriel Diallo made a historic double on Saturday at the Almaty Open.

The Canadian crushed Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-2 in a strong ATP 250 field to reach his first ATP Tour tournament match. With his 68-minute victory over top-seeded Cerundolo, Diallo also confirmed that he will break into the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.

“Great joy, great excitement. And a lot of relief,” said Diallo when asked about his feelings after his victory in the semifinals. “I have been playing tennis at a high level and I am happy to see the results going well for me. It means the world to me, especially here. I have family members here that I’ve never met before, so obviously it’s great that they came and I’m having a great week here. I am very happy.”

Diallo converted all three of his break points against Cerundolo, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 23-year-old, who had not reached the quarter-finals of the ATP Tour before this week, has risen to No. 87 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings thanks to his run in Almaty so far.

“It’s very special. Obviously the Top 100 is something you’re trying to crack. It’s quite a milestone,” said Diallo. “It puts you in big events and Slams, which is always fun, very motivating. I am very happy with my team. We’ve been working hard to get to where we are now, and hopefully it can be the start of something special.”

After becoming the seventh Canadian to reach an ATP Tour final this century, Diallo will face either third-seeded Karen Khachanov or Aleksandar Vukic in Sunday’s championship match in Kazakhstan.