Diallo wins Madrid opener after late entry into main draw, Fernandez eliminated

By Canadian Press on April 24, 2025.

MADRID — Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo made the most of a last-minute spot in the Madrid Open, beating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round of the clay-court tournament.

In women’s competition, 25th seed Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., was upset 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 by American Ann Li in a second-round match.

Diallo entered the main draw as a replacement for Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, who withdrew before the tournament.

Diallo didn’t face a break point and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points. He converted all four of his break chances and won 19 points on return.

It was a strong response after falling to Croatia’s Borna Coric 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the final round of qualifying on Wednesday.

Diallo will next face fellow lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak, who replaced two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz after the second-seeded Spaniard withdrew Thursday with a muscle injury.

Both Li and Fernandez struggled to hold serve, but the American held a 5-4 edge in break points converted.

Li also showed off some power, with eight aces compared to two for Fernandez.

The 22-year-old Fernandez saw her record this season fall to 10-9. She was playing in her first tournament since advancing to the third round of the Miami Open in March.

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

The Canadian Press