Canada’s Gabriel Diallo advanced to his first career ATP Tour final on Saturday with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo at the Almaty Open.
The 23-year-old from Montreal needed 68 minutes to complete the victory.
Diallo, the world No. 118, had a 5-1 edge in aces and saved the lone break point he faced. The 31st-ranked Cerundolo won just 55 per cent of points on his first serve and had six double-faults.
The Canadian will next face 26th-ranked Karen Khachanov of Russia in Sunday’s final. Khachanov defeated Aleksandar Vukic of Australia 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
WATCH | Diallo books ticket to his 1st career ATP Tour final:
Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo sunk Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-4, 6-2 at the Almaty Open to reach his maiden ATP Tour championship match.
The six-foot-eight Diallo upset 23rd-ranked Alejandro Tabilo in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 event.
Diallo will move into the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time on Monday.
Djokovic beats Nadal before Sinner tops Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 for the championship in the Six Kings Slam exhibition Saturday after Novak Djokovic topped Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third-place match.
While Sinner and Alcaraz probably have plenty of future matchups in store, Djokovic and Nadal may have been playing for the final time in one of tennis’ great rivalries.
Djokovic won the match between rivals who have combined for 46 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal, who won 22 Slam titles, is planning to retire after playing for Spain next month in the Davis Cup.
They shared a warm embrace at the net after Djokovic’s victory. He also beat Nadal in the Olympics and had a 31-29 lead in their head-to-head.
“The last dance was an epic one,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “And of course emotional. I’ll cherish our rivalry forever, (at)rafaelnadal. Tennis will miss you.”
Sinner then emerged with a victory over Alcaraz in a matchup between the winners of all four major titles this season. The top-ranked Sinner, who had lost all three meetings this season, collected $6 million US for the win.
“Until now, every match was very, very good, but we will always hope this rivalry will last as long as possible,” Sinner said.
Alcaraz beat the Italian on Oct. 2 to win the China Open in Beijing, along with semifinal victories at the French Open and Indian Wells. The Spaniard has a 6-4 lead in their head-to-head on Tour.
“I will try to do my best every day … to hopefully make this rivalry better and better over the years,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Sinner topped Djokovic in the previous round of the exhibition event that awards money but not ATP ranking points in Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into tennis.
