
Diallo wins singles qualifying match in Miami
MIAMI — Gabriel Diallo of Montreal survived a mid-match “hiccup” to defeat Yosuke Watanuki of Japan in a Miami Open singles qualifying match on Monday.
The 23-year-old Diallo, seeded sixth in qualifying at the Masters-level tennis tournament, defeated the 26-year-old Watanuki 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-3 in just under two hours to advance in the ATP 1000 event that begins first-round action on Wednesday and runs until March 30.
Both players finished with 10 aces and three double faults. Watanuki had 32 unforced errors compared to the Canadian’s 24.
The biggest difference in the match was Diallo was much better on second serve, getting points on 71 per cent of his serves, while Watanuki only managed to earn points 41 per cent of the time.