Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo advances to Mallorca quarterfinals with win over Djere

Gabriel Diallo of Canada plays a return to Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic during the Queen's Club Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

SANTA PONSA — Montreal will be well-represented in the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Championship after Gabriel Diallo and Félix Auger-Aliassime won their second-round matches Tuesday.

Diallo continued his successful grass-court season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Serbia's Laslo Djere.

Later, second-seed Auger-Aliassime joined his compatriot in the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-3 win over France's Arthur Rinderknech.

Diallo scored his second break of the match to go up 5-3 in the third set, then set up match point with back-to-back aces before wrapping up the win in one hour 47 minutes.

The 23-year-old sixth seed won 83 per cent of first-serve points and had 10 aces while saving three of the four break points he faced.

Diallo, who entered the tournament with a career-high No. 41 ranking, is expected to break into the top 40 after this tournament.

He will next face fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands at the ATP 250 event. Griekspoor defeated Diallo in the second round of this year's French Open in the only other match between the players.

Diallo, who picked up his first ATP Tour tournament win earlier in the grass-court season at the Libema Open in the Netherlands, is preparing for his first appearance in the Wimbledon main draw after falling in qualifying at the past two events.

He has played in three straight Grand Slam main draws since losing in the second round of qualifying at the All England Club in 2024.

Auger-Aliassime, who had a bye in the first round, picked up his break of the match on a Rinderknech double-fault to go up 5-3 in the second set, then served out to wrap up the match in just under one hour 53 minutes.

The 24-year-old world No. 27 will next face Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic.

Auger-Aliassime is seeking grass-court momentum in Mallorca as he heads into his sixth Wimbledon main draw looking for a better result at the All England Club. He has been eliminated in the first round at the last three editions of the grass-court Grand Slam after reaching the quarterfinals in 2021.

Main-draw action at Wimbledon begins Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.

The Canadian Press