From Wild Card to Seeded Success at the National Bank Open

Gabriel Diallo, a 23-year-old tennis player, has made a significant leap in his career. After needing a wild card to enter the National Bank Open in previous years, he now enters the tournament seeded. He is considered by many to be Canada's most compelling player at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto.

On Wednesday, Diallo advanced to the third round by defeating Italian wild card Matteo Gigante. The match showcased Diallo's resilience as he recovered from a deficit to secure the victory. This win is the latest in a successful season for the young player. He has improved his ATP ranking by approximately 50 spots and secured his first title at the grass-court ATP 250 Libema Open in the Netherlands. Diallo currently holds a career-high ranking of World No. 36 and is seeded No. 27 at the NB Open.

Diallo is set to face the winner of the match between Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain and Taylor Fritz of the United States in the third round. Diallo and Fritz recently competed at Wimbledon, where Fritz emerged victorious in a thrilling five-set match. Diallo acknowledges the progress he has made, stating that he wouldn't have believed he would be a seeded player at the tournament just two years ago. He expressed satisfaction with his performance and the support he received from the crowd.

Diallo's background is rooted in his parents' journey to Canada. His mother, Iryna, is Ukrainian and a former national team handball player, while his father, Moubassirou, is from Guinea. They met during an educational exchange in the former Soviet Union and both pursued engineering studies. They immigrated to Canada in the early 90s, and their son was born in Montreal in 2001. Diallo is multilingual, fluent in English, French, and Russian, and is also learning Spanish. His girlfriend, Fiona Arrese, is a fellow tennis player from Spain whom he met while playing at The University of Kentucky. She was also responsible for his current hairstyle.

Diallo's recent success began in 2024, including reaching the third round at the U.S. Open after qualifying, making the finals of the ATP 250 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and breaking into the top 100. His progress was evident even earlier, such as at the 2023 NB Open in Toronto, where he secured his first ATP win against Daniel Evans.

In his recent match, Diallo quickly took control, winning the first set. Despite a comeback attempt by Gigante in the second set, Diallo fought back, ultimately winning the match in a tiebreak. He values the opportunity to play in front of a Canadian crowd. He emphasizes the importance of balancing the desire to perform well with avoiding excessive pressure and expectations.

In addition to Diallo's success, two other Canadian men, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexis Galarneau, were eliminated from the singles competition on Wednesday.