Diallo Loses First ATP Final to Khachanov In Almaty Open

Summary:

• Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo was defeated by Russian-Armenian Karen Khachanov in Sunday’s men’s final at the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan. 
• The three-set victory brought Khachanov his seventh ATP Tour title 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
• The 23-year-old Canadian will enter the top 100 in world rankings on Monday.

Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo came up short in his first ATP Tour final, losing to Russian-Armenian tennis star Karen Khachanov at the 2024 Almaty Open in Kazakhstan. 

The 23-year-old Canadian pushed Khachanov to three sets before the player seeded No. 15 sealed his seventh ATP title with a thrilling 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory. 

Khachanov Won 92% of His First-Serve Points

As noted by Infosys ATP Stats, the 28-year-old controlled the first set with remarkable efficiency, winning an impressive 92% of his first-serve points. 

Diallo, making his debut in an ATP final, showed resilience by recovering from a 6-2, 4-2 deficit in the second set, winning five of the next six games to level the match. 

Despite his strong comeback, Khachanov capitalized on his momentum, quickly gaining the upper hand and breaking Diallo’s serve early in the second set, as his backhand and break point conversions in the deciding set proved too much. 

Khachanov broke Diallo twice in the third set to secure the championship on his first match point.

“A lot of emotions, now I’m relieved and super happy”, the player who improved to 7-2 in tour-level finals commented. 

“You can’t expect a final to be easy, without tension”, he added.

Diallo, to Enter ATP Top 100 for the First Time

For Diallo, this loss is part of an impressive breakthrough year, having cracked the ATP Top 100 for the first time. 

His rise included a win over Francisco Cerúndolo in the semifinals, but his nerves showed in the final, particularly during crucial points. 

Despite the defeat, the pro tennis player with an impressive 6 ft. 8 in. (2.03 metre) height continues to show potential as one of Canada’s rising tennis stars.

Diallo is now up to a career-high of No. 87 in the Live PIF ATP Rankings following a career-best week in Almaty. Will Diallo pick up an ATP title this year? Get the latest tennis odds for this and more with our selection of the best sportsbooks.

The fresh title victory brought Khachanov, who also defeated Diallo 6-4, 6-4 in the Round of 64 at this year’s National Bank Open, a share of the $1.036 million prize at the ATP 250 event, marking his first indoor hard-court title since defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2018 ATP Masters 1000 in Paris.

This marks the second time this season that the 28-year-old Khachanov has claimed multiple titles, following his victory at the ATP 250 event in Doha back at the start of the year.