Close but not quite for Gabriel Diallo.

The Canadian lost for the third time in as many matches against American Taylor Fritz this year on Thursday, falling 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the opening round of the Japan Open.

The second-seeded Fritz, ranked fifth in the world, beat Diallo in five sets at Wimbledon and then in straight sets at the National Bank Open in Toronto.

In a battle of big servers, Fritz got a mini-break on the opening point of the tiebreak and never trailed the rest of the way.

It was Diallo’s first match since he bowed out in the second round of the U.S. Open on Aug. 28. He is the world No. 35.

Diallo had 40 winners, but just couldn’t find a way to get out of trouble in the tiebreak.

Fritz, the Japan Open champ in 2022, had a quick turnaround after playing in the Laver

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