Canadian tennis player Gabriel Diallo secured his first victory in almost two months on the ATP Tour by triumphing over Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the opening round of the Indian Wells tennis competition. The 24-year-old athlete hailing from Montreal, holding the 38th spot globally, defeated the 94th-ranked Bellucci with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-4 during the men’s singles match held in Indian Wells, California.
Diallo, who had faced early exits in his preceding four ATP events, showcased an impressive performance by delivering 10 aces and making just one double fault. Following his success, Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., also emerged victorious by defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to progress to the next round.
In the upcoming matches, Diallo is set to encounter the 17th-seeded Andrey Rublev from Russia, while Shapovalov will face off against the 29th-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry from Argentina. Meanwhile, in the men’s tournament, Alexis Galarneau from Laval, Que., suffered a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against France’s Gael Monfils.
On the women’s side, Canadian players faced eliminations. Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga, Ont., lost 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-1 to Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova. Despite firing 12 aces, Andreescu struggled with five double faults and a first serve winning rate of only 57%. Similarly, Marina Stakusic from Mississauga, Ont., was ousted from the tournament after a close match against Austria’s Anastasia Potapova, losing 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.
