Diallo dialled in during breakout Almaty run

Gabriel Diallo won’t soon forget this week’s Almaty Open and it’s not only because of what the Canadian has done on court.

Yes, Diallo reached a maiden ATP Tour quarter-final and now semi-final to move closer to the sought after Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings benchmark. But the newly turned 23-year-old also got to meet an older family member on his mom’s side for the first time.

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

Diallo even intends to do some sightseeing with his cousin after his last match.

That could still be a couple of days away, since the 6-foot-8 big server beat Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 amid Almaty’s high altitude on Friday to land in the last four.

A hip injury affected the Montrealer earlier in the year to halt the momentum garnered from the end of 2023.

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

Having been as high as No. 103 in the rankings in September after a third round showing as a qualifier at the US Open, Diallo’s live ranking eclipsed the Top 100 immediately following victory against the Canadian-born Tabilo.

“Would be nice to keep going, keep climbing the rankings but we keep a big focus on the process for sure,” said Diallo.

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It was a measured reply from the well-spoken Diallo yet he admits that he does spend his share of time glancing at the rankings.

“I do, especially after last week. I had to defend points and I managed to defend a big chunk,” said Diallo, who won the Bratislava Challenger 12 months ago. “So I knew I was getting there. Before starting in Almaty I was 118, now I’m just inside (the Top 100) but there are guys behind me that are hungry, playing just as well, that are trying to make a move as well. So I got to keep focusing and doing my part.”

In his still young ATP main-draw career, Diallo achieved another personal best Friday by tallying 70 per cent of his second-serve points against the second seed.

“It’s good for sure because you don’t want to be one dimensional to the point that if you don’t make your first serve, you know you are in big trouble,” he said.

He is the type of player that likes to celebrate career milestones without going overboard when his tournament wraps up. That might mean eating a little cake, having one beer, a glass of wine or when he is at home, enjoying poutine.

What he has accomplished in Almaty no doubt merits a treat, even if Diallo loses Saturday versus fourth-seed Francisco Cerundolo. The tournament hotel might be the starting point.

“The view is insane from the hotel,” said Diallo. “We got the mountains.”

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