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.
From qualifying to... disbelief!
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 15, 2025
World No.136 Atmane is up to No.69 in the ATP live rankings 😱#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/VOEa7J5cBC
"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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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Térence Atmane Shared the Same Reaction As Everyone After Continuing Improbable Run.
