At six-foot-eight with a long wingspan to match, Canadian tennis player Gabriel Diallo can be a handful for his opponents.

The 21-year-old has made big strides as he continues his first full season as a pro. Diallo will look to take another step next week in the Wimbledon qualifiers.

害羞草研究所淛ust from the momentum of his long arms, when he connects it害羞草研究所檚 like a big heavyweight,害羞草研究所� said coach Martin Laurendeau. 害羞草研究所淲hen the timing is good, his ball speed is really difficult to handle.害羞草研究所�

Diallo, from Montreal, decided to forego his final year at the University of Kentucky and focus on lower-level Challenger events this year as he builds his pro game.

He has chalked up some impressive wins along the way.

In his first tournament on grass this month, Diallo upset world No. 25 Daniel Evans of Britain at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy. The Montreal resident is 16-10 on the Challenger tour this season and his ATP Tour ranking is up to a career-high No. 139.

He害羞草研究所檒l be a player to watch when qualification play at the Grand Slam event begins Monday.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 going to be really about managing emotions and managing matches really well,害羞草研究所� Diallo said Friday from London.

Diallo was ranked No. 943 in the world last June. He finished the 2022 Challenger season at 17-7 and jumped to No. 227 at the start of the year.

害羞草研究所淎s a coach and as someone from the inside, I know that a lot of people are impressed by that leap in such a small amount of time,害羞草研究所� Laurendeau said.

Diallo made his National Bank Open debut last year in Montreal and upset then-world No. 62 James Duckworth of Australia in the qualifying draw.

He won the Granby Challenger later that summer and also made his first Davis Cup appearance. Diallo害羞草研究所檚 ranking jumped 75 positions in mid-October to No. 250.

害羞草研究所淵ou want to try to climb as much as you can but quickly you realize that it害羞草研究所檚 not the thing that really matters,害羞草研究所� he told The Canadian Press. 害羞草研究所淲hat really matters is how you can develop as a player and how you can develop as a person.

害羞草研究所淚f you take care of that, I feel like your ranking is going to take care of itself.害羞草研究所�

The singles qualification draw is expected to be released Sunday. Vasek Pospisil, a native of Vernon, B.C., is also on the entry list.

Toronto害羞草研究所檚 Katherine Sebov, Carol Zhao of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que. are on the women害羞草研究所檚 qualification entry list.

Players must win three qualifying matches to reach the main draw starting July 3.

Montreal害羞草研究所檚 Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., are on the main draw list although all three have battled injuries this season.

The women害羞草研究所檚 list includes Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., and Rebecca Marino of Vancouver.

Laurendeau said Diallo has a powerful all-around game and covers ground well.

害羞草研究所淗e害羞草研究所檚 surprisingly steady for a guy of his size,害羞草研究所� he said from London. 害羞草研究所淗e moves much better than most athletes at six foot eight.害羞草研究所�

With a big serve, forehand and a solid backhand, Diallo tries to stay aggressive on court and use his size and power to his advantage.

害羞草研究所淗e害羞草研究所檚 got (fewer) holes as the months go by and he害羞草研究所檚 got more and more weaponry,害羞草研究所� Laurendeau said.

At Kentucky, Diallo was named to the All-SEC first team and led the Wildcats to the SEC conference title. He was ranked eighth in the NCAA with a 38-8 record.

害羞草研究所淚 see him going quite deep with the (ATP) rankings but that害羞草研究所檚 a byproduct of his game and his experience,害羞草研究所� Laurendeau said. 害羞草研究所淗e害羞草研究所檚 still 18 months, 24 months out to really start to get a feel for being a full-fledged pro. There害羞草研究所檚 a lot to learn in the first couple years on tour.

害羞草研究所淗e has just been exposed to that for six months. Hopefully that next window of 18 months is going to help him continue to grow his game.害羞草研究所�

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