Canada's Gabriel Diallo is a win away from advancing to his first Grand Slam main draw after defeating Argentina's Marco Trungelliti 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4 in French Open qualifying Wednesday. Diallo reacts during his game against Hong Seongchan of South Korea during the Davis Cup tennis qualifiers in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
PARIS – Canadians Gabriel Diallo and Marina Stakusic are a win away from advancing to their first Grand Slam main draw.
Montreal’s Diallo advanced to the third round of French Open men’s qualifying on Thursday with a 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4 win over Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti.
Later, Stakusic, from Mississauga, Ont., saved match point and came back to defeat Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (6) in a women’s second-round qualifying match.
Diallo, 22, hit 30 winners and converted five of nine break-point chances to outlast Trungelliti in a slugfest that took three hours five minutes to complete.
Diallo will face Switzerland’s Alexander Ritschard on Thursday for a spot in the main draw.
The 19-year-old Stakusic came through in a tiebreaker after a crucial hold to tie the third set at 6-6. She will next face Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine.
Earlier, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino was eliminated from the second round of qualifying with a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Croatia’s Lucija Ciric Bagaric.
Marino was seeking to reach the main draw at Roland-Garros for the third straight year.
The men’s and women’s main draws begin Sunday.
Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., are in the men’s draw, while Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., is in the women’s draw.
Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu is also expected to make a return at Roland-Garros through her protected ranking. She hasn’t played since sustaining a back injury at the National Bank Open in Montreal last August.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2024.
