Canada will be in the final stages of the Davis Cup next September, but what we remember from this weekend's clash against South Korea is Gabriel Diallo's team.
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Sure, the young man made a lot of unforced errors in his two games, but he had two big challenges to overcome and he did it with poise and determination.
He was initially given the task of starting the weekend with the first match against Soonwoo Kwon, a player ranked 700th but whose actual ranking is 50th in the world when not affected by injuries.
Diallo finished the match 6-4 in two identical sets, setting the tone for the rest.
Challenge
On Saturday he faced the difficult task of drawing the line after Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil's double defeat against JiSung Nam and MinKyu Song, which allowed the Koreans to bring the score back to 2-1.
And Diallo has responded once again. He had a very good first set, winning 7-5, and faltered in the second set, which he lost 4-6 to Seongchan Hong, but he recovered and secured the Canadian victory by holding Hong's serve in a set , which he won 6-1, broke twice.
He admitted that nerves took over in the second set, especially when the unforced errors started piling up. He made 25 in the first innings and 28 in the second. Then he cleaned up his game and managed only 11 points in the final set. That will be his challenge going forward, to be more consistent and not harm himself by missing opportunities. But he says it himself, it was quite a learning experience that he had at Stade IGA at the weekend.
“I don’t think there’s anything that can prepare you for it, you have to be open-minded. There were many firsts for me, including the first time at home at the Davis Cup. I am extremely fortunate and grateful to be in this position.”
Without the cannons
What's particularly encouraging is that the Canadian team beat South Korea despite the absence of its two great talents, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, who played at the tournament in Montpellier, France.
“With the performances we have seen in the last few days, we have great depth in our team,” said captain Frank Dancevic after the win. It's good to know that there are young people making a name for themselves on the court and playing great tennis.
“There are several teams in the world that only have one big player and when he is injured they go down.”
And although Dancevic had Milos Raonic on his bench, he did not use him as the 33-year-old veteran is not yet at 100% of his abilities.
mentor
However, Raonic could become a good mentor for Gabriel Diallo, who is only 22 years old and presents a style of play reminiscent of the Ontarian.
Diallo is 1.80 meters tall and Raonic is 1.80 meters tall. That's what they have in common, but that's not all. Both players are good servers who play fairly fast games and like to go to the net.
Diallo could certainly benefit from his teammate's experience if he could team up with him again in the Davis Cup.
Because the young man, who is currently ranked 132nd in the world, has strengths that make us believe that he can soon break into the top 100 in the world if he manages to bring a little order into his game and determine to eliminate impurities.
His willingness to fight is evident, he exudes confidence, his footwork is quick and coupled with his long reach allows him to cover long distances and get out of dead ends in often spectacular fashion.
We can even allow ourselves to dream and see him giving the crowd great moments at the National Bank Open at the Stade IGA next summer when the men will be there in Montreal.