French qualifier Terence Atmane stuns Holger Rune to continue dream run into Cincinnati semi-finals

World number 136 Terence Atmane is scripting one of the most compelling narratives of the 2025 tennis season. The 23-year-old French qualifier produced another commanding performance at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday evening, sweeping past seventh seed Holger Rune 6-2, 6-3 to book his place in a maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. The result, coming just 24 hours after dispatching fellow Top 10 player Taylor Fritz, marks a remarkable sequence of triumphs for a player who began the week with a modest 1-4 tour-level record for the year.

Atmane reflected in the immediate aftermath saying, "I don’t think any words can describe how I feel right now... 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 Frenchman also admitted after his victory against the number 1 American, "I couldn’t really sleep last night with the win against Taylor,” Atmane said. “I was just trying to be myself on court, trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I have nothing to lose, that’s the advantage I have of being the underdog here coming from the qualies. I think this is going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year and in my career in general."

Rune found little respite on return, capturing a mere five points on Atmane’s first serve. Conversely, the Frenchman generated 11 break-point opportunities, seizing seven of them, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Such dominance underpinned a performance of rare composure for a player with limited experience at this level.

Atmane seizes control early

Atmane wasted no time in stamping his authority on the match, dominating both on serve and return to claim the opening set 6-2 in just 38 minutes. While both players served two aces and one double fault, Atmane’s first serve was markedly more effective, landing 64% of first serves compared to Rune’s 59%, and winning 86% of those points. Rune, by contrast, managed just 59% first-serve points won, struggling to gain free points or dictate play behind his delivery.

Frenchman holds firm to seal statement win

The second set mirrored much of the first, with Atmane maintaining his edge and closing out the match 6-3 in 37 minutes. Despite Terence's first-serve percentage dipping slightly to 61%, he continued to dominate those points, winning 84% compared to Rune’s 62%. Rune showed flashes of resistance, Atmane’s serving strength, opportunistic returning, and superior consistency in rallies ensured a straight-sets victory.

The rankings will reflect his surge. Projected to rise 67 places to World No. 69 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, his first appearance inside the Top 100, Atmane has secured a career-high position regardless of Saturday’s result. The financial windfall is equally striking: his semi-final berth guarantees him $332,160 in prize money, eclipsing the $310,376 he had accumulated across the entire season prior to this event.

In doing so, Atmane becomes the first Frenchman to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals since Richard Gasquet in 2019 and only the eighth lowest-ranked player in ATP Masters 1000 history to advance this far.

Awaiting him is the most daunting of assignments: a last-four encounter with World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner. The pair have never faced each other before, so the Saturday semi-final encounter should be a strong test. Whatever the outcome, Atmane's journey from world number 136 to a Top 100 breakthrough, and a place in the record books, signals the arrival of a new contender ready to make waves on the ATP Tour.