(Granby) Montrealer Gabriel Diallo qualified for the semi-finals of the Granby ATP Challenger on Friday night, thanks to a victory in three sets of 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) against the Tunisian Aziz Dougaz.
Posted yesterday at 10:19 p.m.
The 6-foot-7 athlete trailed 3-5 in the third set tiebreak but managed to earn four straight runs to seal the game.
The 20-year-old Canadian will take part in his first Challenger Circuit semi-final on Saturday at noon. Diallo will then face the Japanese Hiroki Moriya, ninth seed in the table.
However, he is not the only young tennis player to stand out among men.
Earlier in the day, 17-year-old Chinese Juncheng Shang upset third-seeded Australian Jordan Thompson 7-5, 6-4. Shang won the Challenger in Lexington, USA earlier in August.
The rising star is the only player not to have lost a game yet in Granby.
In the semi-finals, Shang will face 19-year-old American Aidan Mayo, who defeated second-seeded Czech Jiri Vesely.
Kasatkina joins Saville
On the women’s side, favorite Daria Kasatkina easily secured her ticket to the final.
In the only duel on Friday’s program for women, Kasatkina crushed the French Diane Parry 6-2, 6-0 in 62 minutes.
The 10e world racket and tournament favorite joins Australia’s Daria Saville in the final, which takes place on Saturday.
The other semi-final was canceled following Marta Kostyuk’s withdrawal on Thursday night.
A few weeks ago, Kasatkina captured the fifth title of her career in San Jose and showed up in Granby with a priority of 42 spots ahead of the second seed.
The Russian gave a real lesson on serve, keeping 74% of her first serves in play and winning 88% of those points.