Atmane stuns Rune, becomes first qualifier to reach semi-finals in Cincinnati since 2015
Terence Atmane won against Holger Rune 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. He’ll face Italian Jannik Sinner, the top seed, in the next round
Holger Rune (L) and Terence Atmane at Cincinnati Open | © Debby Wong / ZUMA Press Wire / SIPA
French qualifier Terence Atmane advanced to the last four of the Cincinnati Masters by winning against Dane Holger Rune, the No 7 seed, 6-2, 6-3 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Thursday.
Atmane, who has been in supreme form, needed only 75 minutes to finish Rune’s challenge.
The world No 136 threatened Rune’s serve 11 times, succeeding four times in securing breaks. He finished the match with an impressive average of 85 percent on the first serve points and registered 21 winners.
The run in Cincinnati has ensured the Frenchman’s entry into the ATP top 100, also securing him $332,160 in prize money, $21,784 more than his season’s earnings before the tournament.
“I don’t think any words can describe how I feel right now,” Atmane said of the win. “It’s pretty insane to be honest. I cannot believe it. Being here in the semi-finals 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. I’m very emotional about it.”
The result meant the Frenchman became the first qualifier to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals since 2015.
Atmane, ranked No 136, will face Italian Jannik Sinner, the top seed, next.
The Frenchman defeated American Taylor Fritz, the No 4 seed (3-6, 7-5, 6-3), Brazilian Joao Fonseca (6-3, 6-4), Italian Flavio Cobolli, the No 15 seed (6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5)) and Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka (6-2, 6-2) earlier in the tournament.
In the previous rounds of the Cincinnati tournament, Rune, ranked No 9, beat American Frances Tiafoe, the No 10 seed (6-4, 3-1 ret.), American Alex Michelsen, the No 28 seed (7-6 (4), 6-3) and Russian Roman Safiullin (7-5, 7-6 (5)).
Cincinnati Masters 1000, other quarter-finals results (Lindner Family Tennis Center, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):
- Ben Shelton vs. Alexander Zverev
- Andrey Rublev vs. Carlos Alcaraz
- Jannik Sinner beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (23): 6-0, 6-2
