Former Kentucky star Gabriel Diallo advances to third round of US Open
What Gabriel Diallo is doing in the US Open right now hasn’t been done by a former Kentucky Wildcat since 2009.
On Thursday in New York, Diallo took down No. 24 Arthur Fils in the second round of the US Open, winning in four sets (7-5, 6-7 [3], 6-4, 6-4) and thus advancing to the third round on Saturday where he’ll take on No. 14 Tommy Paul of the USA. Diallo, who was a multi-time All-American during his time in Lexington (2019-22), has now won five straight matches on the courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center after entering the main draw as a qualifier.
The Canadian picked up the fourth top-30 win of his career by taking down Fils. This is the first time he’s won back-to-back main draw matches at the Tour level. Saturday will be his first career match in the third round of a major. Diallo is currently ranked No. 143 overall by the ATP.
The Big Blue Nation might remember Diallo for this impressive play during Kentucky’s run to the national championship in 2022, where the Wildcats finished as the runner-up. He was a three-time All-American (2021 Singles, 2022 Singles and Doubles) and a two-time All-SEC member (2021, 2022) as a college athlete. Since leaving Lexington, he’s quickly made his mark as a promising young player on the Tour.
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Diallo found success representing Team Canada in the 2023 Davis Cup which included a win over No. 18 Lorenzo Musetii, the highest-ranked victory of his career so far. He also won “The World Cup of Tennis” with Team Canada in 2022. Diallo took down Spain’s Jaume Munar in four sets in the US Open first round on Tuesday after barely sneaking into the main draw.
You have to go back nearly 15 years to find another Wildcat who appeared in the main singles draw at a major championship. Former Kentucky player Jesse Witten participated in the French Open and Wimbledon in 2010. Witten also made the third round of the US Open in 2009 — Diallo will look to surpass that mark this weekend.
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