World No. 189 Alex Molcan defeats top seed Gabriel Diallo in Bucharest | ATP Tour
match report
Morkan, ranked 189th in the world, beats top seed Diallo in Bucharest
Navone, Dzumhur, Van de Zandschulp advance in ATP 250 clay court event
April 1, 2026
ATP 250 Tiriac Open
Alex Molkan picked up his biggest win of the season on Wednesday in Bucharest.
Sam Jacott
World No. 189 Alex Molcan defeated top seed Gabriel Diallo at the UniCredit Bank Tiriac Open in Bucharest on Wednesday, winning his second-round match 6-2, 6-2.
Molkan reached a career-high No. 38 in the PIF ATP Rankings in May 2022, but has been outside the top 100 for the past two years. The 28-year-old Slovakian, who won two ATP Challenger titles in 2025, reminded everyone of his ability against Diallo, defeating the Canadian in 88 minutes to back up his first-round win over Matteo Anaaldi.
“I’m very pleased,” Molchan said. “I know it’s going to be a difficult match, he’s a very good player. But I know it’s his first match on clay [this year]so I want to focus on my game because maybe he will struggle because this is his first time on clay in a long time. My game is managed well. I try to focus on what I should be doing. I’m very satisfied with today’s performance. “
According to the Infoys ATP win-loss index, Diallo, who reached the quarterfinals on Madrid clay last year, currently has a record of 5-9 this season.
Molkan, playing in a tour-level main draw for the first time since 2024, will next face Argentinian Mariano Navone, who defeated Elmer Moller 6-2, 6-1. Navone, a former finalist in Bucharest, reached the quarter-finals at tour level for the first time since Buenos Aires in February 2025.
In other action, Damir Dzumhur met Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarter-finals. Zumhur snapped an 11-match losing streak against top-50 opponents with an upset victory over fourth-seeded Nuno Borges 7-6(1), 6-4.
Dutchman van der Zandschulp defeated Alexander Shevchenko 7-5, 6-1 to advance to his second tour quarter-final of the season. With the victory, the 30-year-old moved to a 1-1 draw with Shevchenko in the Lexus ATP head-to-head series.
