Unseeded Canadian Gabriel Diallo overwhelmed Francisco Cerundolo to reach his first ATP Tour final with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over the fourth-seeded Argentine.

The 68-minute semi-final victory at the Almaty Open also guarantees that he will improve his ranking into the top 100 on Monday.

“A lot of joy, a lot of excitement. “A big relief too,” Diallo replied when asked how he felt about reaching those two milestones on the same day. “I played good tennis and I’m very happy that the results are going my way. It means a lot to me, especially here. I have family members here that I have never met before. So of course it’s pretty cool that they came and I’m having a great week here. I am extremely happy.

“It’s something very special. Obviously they’re trying to crack the top 100. It’s a pretty big milestone. It gets you into the bigger events and the slams, which is always more fun and stimulating. I’m really happy for myself and my team. We have worked really hard to get to where we are and hope this can be the start of something special.”

After becoming the seventh Canadian to reach an ATP Tour final this century, Diallo will face third seed Karen Khacanov in the title match, defeating Aleksander Vukic 6-7(3), 6-6- in the tour’s second semifinal. 4 defeated day in Kazakhstan.

The six-time title holder from Russia has won their only meeting so far.

Tommy Paul is aiming for his third title of the season

Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images)

In Stockholm, Nordic Open fourth seed Tommy Paul ended Stan Wawrinka’s excellent run by defeating the 39-year-old Swiss 6-3, 6-2 to reach the title round and hopefully regain the title he won in 2021 had won.

“Stan is a great player. He had a great week. He was really fun to watch and really fun to play against today,” Paul said. “I had to reach a high level to get past him, so I’m really happy with the fight we had today.”

The 27-year-old American will play for his third Tour trophy of the year in Sweden on Sunday, following wins in Dallas and the Queen’s Club.

He faces third seed Grigor Dimitrov, who continues his quest for a second title in Stockholm after defeating Tallon Griekspoor 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 to reach his 21st Tour final.

“I knew it was going to be a fight again,” Dimitrov said. “I kept believing, I kept playing well. I tried to adapt my game to what I have today. He played tennis without lights, one of the best games I’ve seen him play in a long time.

“It really means a lot to me to be back in front of (the audience) in the final. Whether I win or lose, I’m still very grateful.”

Roberto Bautista-Agut reaches his 23rd Tout Lrvrl final

(Photo by JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile in Belgium, Jiri Lehecka defeated Marcos Giron 6:3, 4:6, 6:3 and reached the final of the European Open in Antwerp.

“All the best to Marcos, he played incredible tennis, especially in the second set,” Lehecka said in his on-court interview after the hour and 57-minute clash.

“A few times I was speechless at what he was able to do, so I’m really happy with the win, so happy to have progressed and today it was a hard-fought battle.

“After the second set, when I thought I wasn’t playing badly but he was just playing incredible from the baseline, I knew I had to take every opportunity to push forward and be aggressive. His second serve was the only chance I had, so I tried to take advantage of it and it worked well.”

In the final, the Czech will face the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who effortlessly defeated Hugo Gaston 6:3 and 6:4 and thus reached his 23rd tour level final.

“My last final was in Adelaide last year and it means a lot to me to be in (another) final,” the Spanish veteran said. “I worked really hard after the injury and enjoyed being on the pitch like I did this week. That’s why I love tennis and continue to train very hard. I am very happy.”