
Canada’s Diallo loses to Coric in Madrid Open qualifying match
MADRID — Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo came up short in his bid to claim a main-draw spot in the Masters-level Madrid Open tennis tournament after a 6-3, 7-6 (6) loss to Croatian veteran Borna Coric in Tuesday’s final round of qualifying.
Coric saved all nine break points he faced while breaking Diallo twice on three chances.
Diallo was up 6-5 in the second-set tiebreak before surrendering three straight points, including a double-fault on match point.
As the third seed in the qualifying draw, Diallo stood a good chance of advancing to the main draw as a “lucky loser.” If a player already in the main draw withdraws from the tournament, the highest-ranked loser from the final round of qualifying takes that available spot.