MONTREAL 鈥� Gabriel Diallo is back home and tasked with leading Canada once again.
With top Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov absent, Diallo headlines this weekend鈥檚 squad for a Davis Cup tie against Hungary.
The 23-year-old from Montreal triumphed in his hometown a year ago with two singles wins against South Korea at the men鈥檚 team tennis tournament, setting up his best season yet in 2024.
Now ranked a career-high No. 85 鈥� nearly 50 spots higher than 12 months ago 鈥� the six-foot-eight, 198-pound Diallo is approaching this weekend with his usual calm but confident attitude.
鈥淚t feels the same whether I'm No. 1-ranked or number 50 (in Canada),鈥� he said after Friday鈥檚 draw. 鈥淚'm ready for everything, and I'm just going to do my part the best I can."
Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., will meet Hungary鈥檚 Fabian Marozsan on Saturday to open the best-of-five first-round qualifier.
Diallo drew Marton Fucsovics in Saturday鈥檚 second match. He hopes to pick up where he left off on the indoor hard court at IGA Stadium, which seats 2,000.
鈥淒oing it here in Montreal last year was quite special, especially here for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's the club where I grew up playing. I don't live far from here, so seeing so many familiar faces in the crowd was quite special.
鈥淕ives you a good momentum, especially if you manage to get the win like last year, and hopefully we can have a similar result this year."
Diallo won a Challenger event, reached an ATP 250 final and made it to the US Open鈥檚 third round in 2024.
鈥淚t's been a great transformation for him,鈥� said Canada team captain Frank Dancevic. 鈥淗e's improved so many areas of his game over the years, and he's grown into a serious player on tour right now, so it's great to see and he's great to have on the team.鈥�
Veteran player Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., and Calgary's Cleeve Harper round out Canada鈥檚 lineup.
Pospisil and Draxl are scheduled to take on Marozsan and Mate Valkusz in Sunday鈥檚 doubles match. If necessary, Diallo would meet Marozsan in a fourth matchup and Galarneau would battle Fucsovics in a fifth.
Canada is ranked third in the Davis Cup standings, while Hungary is 22nd. But No. 22 Auger-Aliassime is busy playing in a tournament in France and the 53rd-ranked Shapovalov withdrew from the competition last week, citing a back injury.
"Without Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov, they are a little bit weaker,鈥� said Hungary team captain Kornel Bardocz. 鈥淏ut I think they still have a very, very strong team, so we aren't underestimating the Canadian team, so the players prepared hard during the week, and they are ready for a fight."
Hungary, meanwhile, travelled overseas with its best.
Marozsan is ranked 58th in the world and reached as high as No. 36 last year. Fucsovics is only 96th but has flirted with the top 30 in the past.
"Hungary is certainly serious by bringing their top two players here,鈥� Dancevic said. 鈥淔ucsovics is a player with a lot of experience, he's been (No. 31) in the world, so he plays a really high level. Marozsan is younger, big game, had good results at the Australian Open, comes in with confidence.
鈥淲e're really even, in my opinion. We both have good teams and it won't be a weekend that ends after the third match, it'll go four or five.鈥�
The 25-year-old Galarneau, despite his No. 176 ranking, upset Fucsovics 6-3, 6-4 at a Challenger event in Portugal last week. Draxl, 23, is Canada鈥檚 top-ranked doubles player on the roster at No. 113.
鈥淚t's a young team, with the exception of Vasek,鈥� Dancevic said, as laughs went around the press conference room.
Pospisil will play in his 35th Davis Cup tie 鈥� and knows it could be his last with retirement on the horizon.
"I just want to soak it in, enjoy it. I haven't decided,鈥� he said. 鈥淚'll be making some kind of decision this year, but there is a high chance this will be my last time, so I'm gonna try to enjoy it as best I can.
鈥淎t the same time, I'm here to do a job, and I'm gonna want to contribute to the team and get the win in doubles."
Canada and Hungary are meeting for the first time in Davis Cup action.
The winner of the two-day tie will advance to the second round of qualifiers in September. The losing team will be relegated to the World Group 1 level.
Canada has lost in the quarterfinals the last two years and won nine of its last 10 home ties.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
