Cincinnati Open revelation to US Open qualifying as Terence Atmane quickly returns with Flushing Meadows spot not sealed by right

France’s Terence Atmane was the breakout star of the ongoing Cincinnati Open. The 23-year-old’s journey eventually ended in the semifinal of the ongoing ATP 1000 event after losing to Italy’s Jannik Sinner in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2.

On his way to the last four, Atmane produced some incredible results. He first defeated 15th-seed Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the second round with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6. In the round of 32, Atmane got the better of highly-rated Brazil’s Joao Fonseca in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4.

Atmane’s biggest win of the competition came in the fourth round, where he defeated the fourth-seeded America's Taylor Fritz with a score of 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. In the quarterfinal, Atmane proved too hot to handle for Denmark’s Holger Rune as he came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. After the semifinal, top-ranked player Sinner, while speaking in an on-court interview, praised Atmane and called him a player with ‘huge potential’.

“Very, very tough challenge,” said Sinner. “Every time you play someone completely new, it’s very difficult. Playing against these guys in the later stages of tournaments makes it even more difficult. The pressure is higher, you know they deserve to be there. He’s beaten incredible players to reach the semifinals. I knew I have to be very careful. My mindset today was in a good spot. I handled the situations on the court very well. He was serving incredibly well the first set. He has huge, huge potential, I think we saw this throughout the tournament. I wish him only the best. From my side I’m very happy to be in the finals again.”

Surprising call

Those performances pushed Atmane 66 spots up in the live ATP rankings, and he is now placed in the 70th position. That, however, was not enough for him to receive a wildcard entry into the upcoming US Open. The organisers decided to instead award a wildcard entry for the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year to another French player, Valentin Royer. The move is a surprising one considering Royer is currently placed on the 90th spot in the live ATP rankings. Royer also featured in the ongoing Cincinnati Open. Still, his journey ended in the second round of the qualifying phase as he lost to America’s Darwin Blanch with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 7-6.

The recent development means that Atmane will now have to play in the qualifying round to secure a spot in the main draw of the US Open. After his memorable journey at the Cincinnati Open, Atmane spoke to ATP’s official website, where he talked about the fact that he still ‘cannot believe’ playing in the semifinal of an ATP 1000 event. Atmane also admitted that Sinner was just too good for him in the second set and highlighted how he has been able to elevate his game by working on his mentality.

"Absolutely crazy, insane,” said Atmane. “I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here," he said post-match. "Playing against Sinner today was also a very good memory for myself, and I will remember that for a long time. I think that he [Sinner] was just better than me in the second set. Simple as that. He took all the responsibilities in the second set. Me, I think that I let him a little bit play his game, just like 1 per cent, and when you play the world No. 1, it's over already [if you do that]. I worked a lot mentally to be able to stabilise myself, trying to put my mind stronger than my emotions. I think that's the key for me to success at a high level. And I think that I will have to repeat this kind of week to make it to the high level."