Gabriel Diallo may have just experienced a much-needed turning point for his 2026 season.
The Canadian defeated 17th-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Saturday.
Diallo, ranked 38th in the world, entered the tournament with a 1-5 record this season.
Rublev, meanwhile, has reached the semifinals in three of his four previous appearances at Indian Wells this season. However, three days ago, when the United States and Iran broke out military operations in the Middle East, he and two other Russian players were stranded in Dubai before arriving in the United States.
desert sun According to Rublev, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov had to drive seven hours to Oman to catch a flight to Turkey before eventually arriving in California.
Rublev received a bye in the first round as a seeded player.
Diallo’s win would set Montreal up for a third-round matchup with ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Auger-Aliassime won their only previous match last year in Basel, Switzerland.
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., was scheduled to compete in the second-round women’s match later Saturday.
