French Qualifier Continues Sensational Run
Terence Atmane celebrates his victory over Holger Rune to reach the Cincinnati Masters semi-finals
Terence Atmane is hot stuff, and he enjoyed it yet again as he swept the world no. 9, Holger Rune, in straight sets to become the first semifinalist at the Cincinnati Open. The 23-year-old was beaten in three sets by French qualifier Grigor Dimitrov, 136, on Thursday night, losing 6-2, 6-3. His winnings were the following day when he managed to defeat Taylor Fritz, who had the number twelve ranking in the world.
From qualifying to… disbelief!
World No.136 Atmane is up to No.69 in the ATP live rankings 😱#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/VOEa7J5cBC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 15, 2025
On social media, Tennis TV tweeted, “From qualifying to disbelief! World No. 136 Atmane is up to No. 69 in the ATP live rankings. The match lasted one hour and 13 minutes, with Atmane displaying aggressive baseline tennis and solid serving under pressure.
Breakthrough Performance Against Top 10 Opponents
Atmane’s semi-final run has been his best pro run, including victories over Yoshihito Nishioka, Flavio Cobolli, Joao Fonseca, Fritz, and Rune. Beginning Cincinnati with a 1-4 tour-level record this season, he has climbed 67 spots in the live rankings to No. 69.
Against Rune, Atmane won 28 out of 33 first-serve points and broke seven times in 11 chances. He battled through an eight-deuce game to take the key break at 3-1 in the first set. In the second set, he recovered from an early break to take a 5-3 advantage and served out the match.
Career-Defining Week for the Frenchman
The victory makes Atmane the eighth-lowest-ranked player to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final in the history of the series. He is also the first French player to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals since Richard Gasquet in 2019.
It has been a lucrative week financially. By making it to the semi-finals, Atmane has earned $332,160 in prize money, which alone exceeds his whole season take of $310,376 before the tournament. The result also ensures his ranking in the world’s Top 100 for the very first time.
Composure and Confidence on Court
Atmane acknowledged the achievement in the media after the match and noted that he could not believe his success, and he was grateful. Any words—I cannot imagine how I am feeling at this moment in time. This is rather crazy. Just being here in the semi-finals, breaking into the Top 100, and winning tonight—it amounts to a lot of money to me, so it is going to be very helpful to my career,” he said.
He attributed his survival in the underdog role to calming his nerves, saying, “The reason why I had the calm nerves on the court is because I was just being myself, trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I have nothing to lose.” I believe that this will grant me a confidence boost in the rest of the year and my career as a whole.”
Serving Strength and Tactical Execution
Atmane’s serve was a winner delivery, with Rune only managing to win five points on the Frenchman’s first serve. His forehand, which accounted for 14 winners, kept his opponent backpedaling throughout. The combination of precise serving and controlled aggression allowed him to dictate the pace of rallies.
This strategic game has been a hallmark of his campaign since qualifying, demonstrating his ability to adapt to different opponents without losing intensity levels.
Next Challenge Against Jannik Sinner
Atmane now has world No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Sinner knows what this level of play is like and the benefit of being seeded higher. Atmane has back-to-back victories against top 10 opponents, however, which indicates he has the form to defeat any opponent.
The game will show how consistent and mentally strong Atmane is compared with the highest level of the ATP Tour.
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Final Thought—Can Atmane Continue His Dream Run?
Among the biggest of the Cincinnati Open has been qualifier Terence Atmane reaching the semi-final of a Masters 1000 tournament. Both his composed attitude and his command of the baseline have enabled him to succeed against the likes of big names.
The next question is, can he sustain this against Sinner and advance further in the competition? Against which of these challengers will his aggressive attitude to the game run? Will the World No. 1 crush his sensational run?
