The attempt of young Montrealer Gabriel Diallo to enter the main draw of the National Bank Open ended on Sunday.
After causing a big upset the day before, Diallo withdrew from his second-round qualifying match against Frenchman Hugo Gaston due to injury.
Diallo, now ranked 669th in the world, trailed 6-2, 2-1 in the blazing sun when he told the referee his day’s work was over.
Gaston, seeded eighth in qualifying, earned his bye to the tournament’s main draw with his second consecutive retirement. The Frenchman had won his first round qualifying match following the withdrawal of American Michael Mmoh.
Diallo, a 20-year-old colossus, took a step closer to the main draw in Montreal by surprising Australian James Duckworth in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (5), after a duel of 91 minutes.
Duckworth, 59th in the world, was the fourth seed in qualifying and was returning from a second-round appearance at the Atlanta Open.
Diallo was the only one of six Canadians in qualifying in Montreal to have made it to the second round. Steven Diez, Kelsey Stevenson, Jaden Weekes, Juan Carlos Aguilar and Liam Draxl all lost in the first round.
The first main draw games will be held on Monday and the National Bank Open final will be played next Sunday.
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