Jannik Sinner Earns Praise From Breakout Star at Cincinnati Open

Jannik Sinner Earns Praise From Breakout Star at Cincinnati Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

At the Cincinnati Open, the spotlight has mostly been on the usual heavyweights—Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both cruising past opponents with ease. But this year’s story has an unexpected twist, with a new name forcing his way into the conversation. 

World No. 136 Terence Atmane has been the surprise package of the tournament, taking down some big names, including Holger Rune, to earn a spot in the semifinals. And as he gears up for his toughest test yet against Sinner, the Frenchman isn’t shy about showing his admiration for the Italian star.

Speaking to the media ahead of his semifinal against Sinner, Atmane had nothing but praise for the 23-year-old.

“I don’t want to predict anything because Jannik is like the most incredible player that we have pretty much ever seen in our lifetime," he said. "So it is going to be very interesting to be able to play someone like him. To play someone that is bringing so many crazy things into the Tennis world.”

Terence Atmane’s Journey So Far at Cincinnati

Terence Atmane is on the run of his life in Cincinnati, and he’s not backing down from anyone. Fresh off upsetting Taylor Fritz, the French qualifier stunned another top-10 player, Holger Rune, with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win to book his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 semifinal where he’ll face defending champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Still in disbelief, Atmane called the whole experience “pretty insane,” admitting that breaking into the top 100, securing a career-best win and pocketing a big paycheck all at once is overwhelming in the best way. His lethal forehand racked up 14 winners, while his speed and movement kept Rune on the back foot. Coming in with just a 1-4 season record, Atmane has rocketed up 67 spots in the live rankings to No. 69. And with $332,160 already banked this week, he’s proving that sometimes being the underdog is the biggest advantage of all.

Related: Jannik Sinner Chasing Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray's Historic Win Streaks

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.



* This article was originally published here

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