Gabriel Diallo may simply have skilled a much-needed turning level for his 2026 season.
The Canadian knocked off No. 17 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1), 6-3 on Saturday within the second spherical of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
Diallo, the world No. 38, entered the event 1-5 on the season.
Rublev, in the meantime, reached the semifinals in three of his 4 tournaments this season previous to Indian Wells. Nonetheless, he arrived within the U.S. solely three days in the past after he was stranded in Dubai with two different Russian gamers when American-Iran navy motion broke out within the Center East.
The Desert Solar reported Rublev, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov needed to drive seven hours to Oman to get a flight to Turkiye, earlier than ultimately attending to California.
Rublev bought a first-round bye as a seeded participant.
Diallo’s win units up an all-Montreal third-round battle in opposition to No. 9 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Auger-Aliassime gained their solely earlier assembly final 12 months in Basel, Switzerland.
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., was scheduled to play a second-round girls’s match later Saturday.
