Diallo Through to Indian Wells Second Round in Straight Sets

By Francesco Tosini

March 4, 2026

Match Results ATP Gabriel Diallo Alexis Galarneau Denis Shapovalov

Gabriel Diallo was back in the win column on the ATP Tour, recording his first tour-level victory since his first match of the year in Hong Kong.

Diallo defeated world No. 94 Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Open first round on Wednesday, joining Félix Auger-Aliassime in round two.

The Canadian No. 2 only faced one break point in the match which came late in the second set, comfortably saving Bellucci’s opportunity. Diallo wasn’t the most efficient when holding break point, converting on one of seven, but that lone break in the second was enough to see out the rest of the contest.

After winning just four points in as many return games, Diallo saved his pressure for later in the opening set. The Montrealer held two break points both at 4-5 and 5-6, but Bellucci managed to escape and force a tiebreaker.

The Italian had the upper hand thanks to an early mini-break that brought him out to a 4-1 advantage. Unfazed, Diallo won five points on the bounce, later holding set point on serve at 6-5. The Canadian was visibly fired up to see Bellucci’s forehand land wide following the lengthy rally as Diallo took a one-set lead.

The Italian No. 8 began to knock on the door of Diallo’s serve, forcing deuce at 1-2 then turning 2-3, 40-love, into his first break point of the match. However, the Canuck held his nerve, eventually capping off the game with one of his ten aces to keep the set even.

It was then Diallo’s turn to try to score the match’s first break at 3-3, 15-40, and the world No. 38 converted on the second try, needing to stay perfect on serve the rest of the way to book his ticket into the second round.

The 24-year-old did so in dominant fashion, winning eight-straight service points to set up a round-two clash against world No. 17 Andrey Rublev on Friday.