Retiring mid-match in one’s home tournament is one of the biggest setbacks for a tennis player, and Gabriel Diallo is feeling the same way. The Canadian was battling Luciano Darderi in the second round of the National Bank Open, with the Italian winning the first set. The home favorite seemed to be making a comeback in the second set, but that is when disaster struck.

The incident occurred when Diallo was serving in the second set. The Canadian hit a perfect ace, but grabbed onto his left leg as soon as he landed in his follow-through. The medical trainer was called out to provide assistance, and Diallo was seen pointing towards his left thigh and wincing in pain whenever the trainer tried to touch the injured area.

To his credit, the home favorite attempted to grit it through till the end, but he could not move, as he was not able to put any pressure on the injured left thigh, which saw him retire from the match while having a 3-2 lead in the second set. The Canadian was visibly emotional, with tears in his eyes, and was consoled by Darderi at the net, with the Italian letting the Canadian have all the applause.

Diallo was wearing a black compression support on his left leg from the start of the match, which might indicate he was already managing an injury. The home favorite was playing well, as he had won a tough three-set match against Kyrian Jacquet in the first round. Reaching the third round would have matched his best performance at his home event, as he had a third-round finish last year.

Diallo is not the only player who was not able to complete his match, as previously in the week, another home favorite, Denis Shapovalov, retired in the third set in his first-round match against Zachary Svajda.

With the withdrawals of the home favorites, the Canadian contingent has only one player left in the draw, who will have the hopes of the nation on his shoulders.

Gabriel Diallo’s Withdrawal Leaves One Canadian Man Left in the Draw at the 2026 National Bank Open

Diallo was one of two Canadian men who were in action in the second round of the 2026 National Bank Open. With Diallo going out, second-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime is the last hope for the Canadian contingent in the men’s draw. He is slated to face Titouan Drouget in his second-round encounter, having received a bye in the first round.

Other Canadian players were unable to deliver on home hopes, with the likes of Alexis Galarneau, Liam Draxl, and Duncan Chan all losing in the first round, while Shapovalov retired from his match. Auger-Aliassime faces a tough draw as he will have the likes of Brandon Nakashima and Frances Tiafoe potentially facing him in later rounds.

However, Auger-Aliassime does not have a great record at his home Masters, with his best being a quarterfinal finish in 2022, where he lost to Casper Ruud. The upcoming match is also significant for Auger-Aliassime, as this will be his first match since his loss to Novak Djokovic in the five-hour epic at Wimbledon. The Canadian will begin life on court without having Frederick Fontang in his corner, after the duo went their separate ways after a decade of working together.