Gabriel Diallo of Montreal, Quebec delivered a significant upset in the first round of the 2025 Miami Open on Thursday. Diallo, ranked 87th in the world, defeated the 44th ranked player, Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, 6-3, 6-0 in the first round.
You could make the argument this was possibly Dialo’s most dominant win of his ATP career, and one of the most notable wins by a Canadian on the ATP player in quite some time. Diallo had six aces compared to zero for Etcheverry. He broke Etcheverry five times in eight opportunities, and won 56 of the 91 points in the match.
Etcheverry is a grand slam quarterfinalist. That result came at the French Open in 2023. Etcheverry has reached three grand slam finals in his career, but all three of them have been on clay.
Next up for Diallo is Arthur Fils of France. Diallo and Fils have played two other times in the last year. At the 2024 United States Open, Diallo beat Fils 7-5, 6-7. 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. Then at Indian Wells earlier this month, Fils rebounded nicely with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win attended by yours truly in person. In order for Diallo to be effective against Fils, he needs to trust his serve better. Diallo can be an intimidating presence and needs to use his size more to his advantage.
