The first round of the 2024 United States Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, has been completed. Of the five Canadians who participated in the tournament, one Canadian is in the second round. That is Gabriel Diallo from Montreal, Quebec.
Diallo won his first Grand Slam singles tournament of his career on Tuesday. He defeated Spaniard Jaume Munar 6:4, 3:6, 6:3 and 7:5. A key reason for his success was his serve. Diallo had 20 aces, while Munar only had two.
From a world ranking perspective, Diallo’s victory over Munar was a surprise. Diallo is ranked 143rd and Munar is ranked 84th. This was their first direct meeting.
Of the five Canadians who entered the singles draws, Diallo was the only player who had to qualify. In the qualifying draw last week, Diallo defeated Sho Shimabukuro of Japan 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, Titouan Droguet of France 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 and Valentin Royer of France 7-6, 6-4.
Diallo will next face Arthur Fils of France in their first head-to-head meeting. Fils is the 24th ranked player in the world and a two-time winner on the ATP Tour. He defeated Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-3, 7-5 in the Lyon final in May 2023 and Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in the final of the 2024 Hamburg Open.
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