There will be at least one Canadian hoisting the doubles title at the ATP Challenger event in Winnipeg this weekend.
After Gabriel Diallo and his Swiss partner Leandro Riedi received a walkover to the final, Canadian duo Juan Carlos Aguilar and Taha Baadi punched their ticket by defeating the top-seeded team of Andrew Harris and Christian Harrison 6-2, 7-6(4) in the semi-final.
With Diallo on one side and Aguilar and Baadi on the other, that means at least one Canadian player will be crowned a champion on home soil. Diallo won his maiden Challenger singles title in Granby in 2022, but this marks his first doubles final. A win for Aguilar and Baadi would also secure them their first Challenger titles.
Diallo’s partner Riedi will have a tough task on the last day of the tournament, as he’s set to play in both the singles and doubles finals. Riedi defeated world No. 117 and fourth seed Liam Broady 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-final on Friday afternoon. This marks Riedi’s fifth singles Challenger final appearance, and his third in doubles; he’s won two in singles and one in doubles.
Riedi will take on Ryan Peniston from Great Britain in the singles final. Peniston took down sixth seed Arthur Cazaux 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the fourth singles Challenger final of his career. Peniston, ranked No. 260 in the world, is still seeking his maiden Challenger title.
The singles final will take place Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. in Winnipeg. The doubles final will take place approximately 30 minutes after the singles final concludes.
