Unheralded and unsponsored, French qualifier Terence Atmane has electrified the Cincinnati Masters, carving a path into the semi-finals. At simply 23 years outdated, the left-handed underdog has defied expectations; ranked 136 on the earth in the beginning of the week, Atmane delivered a surprising assertion by defeating World No. 9 Holger Rune 6-2, 6-3 in Thursday’s quarter-final. The victory, completed in only one hour and 13 minutes, adopted his earlier upset of World No. 4 Taylor Fritz.
With these back-to-back triumphs, Atmane turned the primary qualifier to achieve the Cincinnati Masters final 4 since 2015 and the primary Frenchman to take action since Richard Gasquet in 2019.
Atmane’s journey started within the qualifying rounds, the place he fought by way of two matches simply to achieve the principle draw. In opposition to Rune, he unleashed a commanding efficiency, hanging 14 forehand winners and controlling the rallies with exceptional poise. The show marked a pointy turnaround from a 2025 season through which he had solely managed a single tour-level victory previous to this week, highlighting the depth of his latest surge.
Now, Atmane faces World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner within the semi-finals. Whatever the final result, the Frenchman’s rating will leap 67 spots to No. 69 within the ATP males’s singles record, marking a career-best place. His prize cash for the match has already reached USD 332,160, surpassing the USD 310,376 he earned all season earlier than Cincinnati.
“I do not suppose any phrases can describe how I really feel proper now,” Atmane stated after his quarter-final triumph. “It is fairly insane to be sincere. I can’t consider it. Being right here within the semi-finals of a Masters 1000, breaking into the High 100 and much more with the win tonight – it is also some huge cash for me, so it will be very useful for my profession. It means rather a lot to me. I am very emotional about it.”
Why is Atmane and not using a sponsor?
The week has additionally served as private vindication for Atmane, who misplaced his sponsorship take care of Asics in September 2024 after showing on courtroom in Shanghai sporting Nike trainers. Since then, he has competed and not using a clothes or shoe sponsor, relying fully on his personal assets.
In the meantime, Sinner secured his semi-final berth with an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, marking his first victory over the Canadian in three conferences. With the win, Sinner prolonged his hard-court profitable streak to 25 matches, becoming a member of an unique membership of gamers on this century to realize such a feat—following the footsteps of the Huge 4: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray.
