Gabriel Diallo added yet another ATP Top-25 victory to his resumé in the quarter-final of the Libema Open on Friday while Bianca Andreescu was ousted in straight sets.
Diallo’s impressive 2025 continued in ‘s-Hertogenbosch as the Montreal-native stunned world No. 24 Karen Khachanov to advance to the semifinal.
The 23-year-old got his revenge after Khachanov eliminated Diallo in the Australian Open second round. The Canadian’s 7-6(6), 6-4 win was his second Top-25 victory of the year so far.
Diallo is now projected to crack the Top 50 for the first time next week.
The Canadian No. 3 was solid on serve and converted on crucial break points en route to the upset win. Diallo finished the match with 19 aces, two off his career-best, while winning 74 per cent of his first-serve points. The Madrid quarter-finalist was able to break back in the first set before earning a break in the second that allowed Diallo to serve out the match.
The Montreal-native began the match with seven aces in his first-three service games, part of his 11 in the opening set.
At 3-3, 15-40, Diallo faced his first break points of the afternoon. After saving one, an unforced error from the 23-year-old put Khachanov up 4-3. Unfazed, Diallo needed just two minutes to break back and level the set.
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In the 11th game, the Canadian had to save a pair of break points once again but was able to do so on this occasion. Two deuces later, Diallo held.
A tiebreak was needed to decide the opener and the world No. 55 got off to a solid start, winning four-straight points to lead 4-1. However, Khachanov won five of the ensuing seven points to level the tiebreaker at 6-6. After winning the next point on serve, Diallo managed the mini-break to take a 1-0 set lead.
In the second set, the Canadian No. 3 put Khachanov under immense pressure on serve. At 2-2, Diallo held three break points but was unable to convert as the world No. 24 eventually held after an over 15-minute game.
The Montreal-native didn’t have to wait long to hold another break point. In the seventh game, love-15, two of Khachanov’s 31 unforced errors in the match gave Diallo three opportunities at a break. The Canadian capitalized on the third attempt to lead 4-3.
Serving out the match, Diallo lost just two points on serve, finishing off the match with his 19th ace of the day. The 23-year-old won 77 per cent of his first-serve points in the set.
Diallo is off to his first semifinal since the Almaty Open in October, where he lost to Khachanov in the final. The Canadian No. 3 will face No. 2 seed Ugo Humbert in the final four on Saturday.
Andreescu eliminated in straight sets
Bianca Andreescu was eliminated in the Libema Open quarter-final, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Friday.
After her straight-set win over world No. 43 Lulu Sun in the round of 16, Andreescu struggled early on against Ruse as the Canadian quickly found herself down two breaks in the opening set. In the second, Andreescu was able to save a majority of the break points she faced in the set but a crucial conversion by Ruse was the difference.
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The Mississauga-native had no answer to the Romanian’s strong start as Ruse got out to a 5-0 lead within 20 minutes of the first set.
The ensuing game, Andreescu converted on break point before holding to cut the deficit to 5-2 but eventually dropped the opener. The Romanian No. 2 converted on all three of her break points in the set.
In the second set, the Canadian No. 4 again faced three break points, saving two, but Ruse’s only break proved crucial as the world No. 65 was able to serve out the match. The Romanian didn’t face a break point throughout the set while winning 81 per cent of her first-serve points and 88 per cent on her second delivery.
Andreescu's next match comes next week at the Berlin Tennis Open against American No. 4 Amanda Anisimova.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
