Canada’s Gabriel Diallo has been eliminated from the Wimbledon men’s tournament after a grueling five-set defeat to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in the second round on Thursday. Diallo fought back twice from being a set down but eventually lost 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-2 in a match that lasted four hours and 23 minutes.
Sonego, who now holds a 2-0 record against Diallo, secured an early break to take a 2-0 lead in the final set. Despite Diallo managing to break back and reduce Sonego’s lead to 3-2, the Italian regained control, winning crucial service games to close out the match. Diallo had only been broken once in the previous four sets.
With Diallo’s exit, Montreal native Felix Auger-Aliassime remains the sole Canadian contender in the singles competition, set to face American Michael Zheng in the third round on Friday.
In the women’s doubles first round, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Quebec, and Yulia Putinseva of Kazakhstan were defeated 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 by third seeds Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek overcame former world number one Karolina Pliskova in a straightforward 6-1, 6-3 victory to progress to the third round. Swiatek, aiming to break the champion’s curse and retain the Wimbledon crown, showcased her dominance, reaching her 26th consecutive Grand Slam last-32 stage.
Taylor Fritz, last year’s semifinalist, continued his impressive run with a convincing 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 win over Patrick Kypson, positioning himself as a dark horse for a maiden Grand Slam title. Amanda Anisimova also advanced to the third round after a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) win against Sofia Kenin.
Fritz’s stylish outfit and powerful play drew attention, with the American firing 19 aces in his victory. Anisimova credited her serve for her success against Kenin, expressing gratitude for her advancement in the tournament.