Gab Diallo, Liam Draxl to Represent Canada at Davis Cup
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A pair of Kentucky men’s tennis legends will team up once again, this time to represent Team Canada.
Both Gabriel Diallo and Liam Draxl, who helped take Kentucky to its first ever NCAA Tournament Championship match in 2022, are a part of the five-member squad representing Canada at its Davis Cup Qualifier tie against the Republic of Korea, Feb. 2-3, in Montreal. The UK duo will join Milos Raonic, Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil on the Canadian side.
Diallo, currently No. 135 in the ATP Rankings, has played five Davis Cup ties already in his young professional career. The 22-year-old owns a record of 2-3 in these matches, including a top-20 victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti last year.
During his three and a half years at Kentucky, Diallo compiled a 65-26 overall record in singles and was a three-time ITA All-American. The Montreal native was also a two-time All-SEC First Team Selection and was named to the All-SEC Tournament Team in 2022. He reached a career-high ITA ranking of No. 2 prior to the 2022 fall season and made the quarterfinal round at the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship.
Draxl is set for his Davis Cup debut after turning pro this past summer. The 22-year-old is currently No. 298 in the ATP Rankings and picked up his biggest win as a professional this past fall when he claimed the title at the Calgary National Bank Challenger this past November.
At UK, Draxl became the program’s first ever ITA National Player of the Year, winning the prestigious award following his sophomore season in 2021. The Newmarket, Ontario native totaled a 66-22 singles record in dual matches and was a three-time ITA All-American and First-Team All SEC selection. Draxl reached the semifinals at the 2021 NCAA Singles Championship as the No. 1 overall seed.
The winner of the qualifier tie between Canada and the Republic of Korea will advance to the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals.
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