Taylor Fritz beats Canadian Gabriel Diallo in Toronto in 3rd round of National Bank Open

TORONTO — On Friday night at the National Bank Open, second-seeded Taylor Fritz of the United States secured a convincing victory against 6-foot-8 Canadian Gabriel Diallo with a score of 6-4, 6-2 in the third round.

Reflecting on the match, Fritz expressed his appreciation for the supportive crowd, noting the unexpected warmth despite playing against the last Canadian player in the tournament. He acknowledged the sportsmanship of the spectators and commented on his past experiences with more hostile environments.

With this win, Fritz advances to the fourth round where he will face off against 19th-seeded Jiri Lehecka from Czechia. Lehecka secured his spot in the next round by defeating 15th-seeded Arthur Fils of France with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Currently ranked No. 4 in the world, the 27-year-old Fritz boasts an impressive career with 10 ATP Tour titles, including victories this year at Eastbourne and Stuttgart.

In another thrilling match, fourth-seeded Ben Shelton battled against American compatriot Brandon Nakashima, ultimately prevailing with a 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory. Shelton is now set to face 13th-seeded Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the upcoming round.

Earlier in the day, sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia faced off against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, emerging victorious with a hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win.

The competition heated up as seventh-seeded Frances Tiafoe of the United States narrowly defeated Aleksandar Vukic of Australia with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, setting up a thrilling match against Washington winner Alex de Minaur of Australia, who advanced due to a withdrawal by Christopher O’Connell.

Notably absent from the tournament are top-ranked Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Jack Draper, and No. 6 Novak Djokovic, adding an element of unpredictability to the competition.

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