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Térence Atmane Shared the Same Reaction As Everyone After Continuing Improbable Run

The world No. 136 beat Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz on his way to the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open.

Blake Silverman

Térence Atmane advanced to the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open with a win over Holger Rune
Térence Atmane advanced to the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open with a win over Holger Rune / Screengrab via Tennis TV

Térence Atmane is on a heater.

The Frenchman and ATP world No. 136 continued his improbable run at the Cincinnati Open Thursday with a win over world No. 9 Holger Rune in straight sets—6-2, 6-3. Atmane advances to the semifinal in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the farthest he's made it in a 1000, just 24 hours after he defeated world No. 4 Taylor Fritz in three sets (3-6, 7-5, 6-3).

The reaction to the best result thus far for the 23-year-old? Absolute disbelief.

"I don't think any words can describe how I feel right now," he said after the win over Rune. "It's pretty insane to be honest, I cannot believe it. Being here in the semifinal of a Masters 1000, breaking into the top 100 and even more with the win tonight. It's also a lot of money for me so it's going to be very helpful for my career. It means a lot to me to be honest, I'm very emotional about it."

In addition to Rune and Fritz, Atmane got through Joao Fonseca and Flavio Cobolli in Cincinnati. He entered the main draw through the tournament's qualifying matches, becoming the first qualifier to reach the semifinal in Cincinnati since 2015.

He's looked like he belongs and then some against the top tennis players in the world. It doesn't get any easier for Atmane from here, though, with world No. 1 and Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner awaiting him in the semifinal on Saturday.

Whether he makes it to the final or not, Atmane's run at Cincinnati is improbable, playing absolutely masterful tennis along the way. He even became the newest Reds fan in the process. That’s how you win over a crowd.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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