By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 16, 2025
Photograph credit score: Cincinnati Open Fb
Dealing aces throughout this impressed Cincinnati run, qualifier Terence Atmane performed a comic book card earlier than dealing with Jannik Sinner in the present day.
Moments earlier than the pair stepped on courtroom, Atmane commemorated Sinner’s twenty fourth birthday by giving the highest seed a Pokemon card and a heartfelt hug.
After an interesting opening set, Sinner celebrated his birthday bash with a triumphant triple play return to the Cincinnati Open remaining.
Defending champion Sinner stopped Atmane 7-6(4), 6-2 to attain his twenty sixth straight hard-court win—and 2 hundredth profession hard-court victory.
World No. 1 Sinner surged into his twenty eighth profession remaining, together with his eighth profession ATP Masters 1000 remaining.
“Very, very powerful match as a result of each time whenever you play towards somebody utterly new, it’s very tough,” Sinner mentioned. “The stress is increased. You already know that they should be there. He has crushed unbelievable gamers so I knew I needed to be very very cautious.”
2️⃣4️⃣ and hungry for extra 💪
Birthday boy @janniksin ends Terence Atmane’s dream run 7-6 6-2 to achieve his eighth Masters remaining #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/D14BtmcNwm
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2025
Clad in a logo-less vanilla t-shirt, mis-matched black and blue wristbands, the participating Atmane owns a genius IQ, explosive baseline recreation and is an entertaining presence who was an enormous hit with Cincinnati followers. Even after this loss, Atmane paused on his stroll off to high-five appreciative followers.
Keep in mind the identify 🙌
Terence Atmane will get a correct sendoff from @janniksin and the #CincyTennis followers. pic.twitter.com/e64X7hI5Pq
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2025
Putting cleanly, Sinner smacked six aces towards no double faults, gained 32 of 35 first-serve factors and didn’t face a break level in a one hour, 26-minute triumph.
Afterward, Cincy followers serenaded Sinner with a rousing model of “Comfortable Birthday.”
For Sinner, the track stays the identical: management the baseline, compete with calm composure and crack the ball when he steps ahead. The game’s premier hard-court champion will play for his twenty first profession championship within the remaining.
“I really feel like I dealt with the scenario very effectively,” Sinner mentioned. “He has big potential and I believe we noticed that all through the match. From my facet I’m very completely happy to be within the finals, so let’s see what’s to come back.”
The reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion will face both second-ranked rival Carlos Alcaraz or third-seeded Alexander Zverev in Monday’s remaining.
Atmane is loads of enjoyable to look at and downright scary to face when he masses up on his deadly lefty forehand.
Hardly ever do you see the world No. 1 overpowered on courtroom, however the explosive Frenchman disarmed Sinner at instances within the opener, detonating his forehand as he did scoring High 10 wins over Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.
Unloading in an incendiary seventh recreation, Atmane blasted three aces for a 4-3 lead.
That show would unsettle some opponents, however Sinner instantly answered with three consecutive love holds, surging by means of 17 straight service factors close to the top of the set.
Sinner slammed an ace to power the first-set tiebreaker.
The qualifier blinked first, committing the primary double fault of the day to reward the mini break. Taking part in lockdown baseline tennis, Sinner drained 4 errors within the first six factors for a 4-2 lead.
In a crackling crosscourt change, Atmane stepped in and crushed a fiery forehand winner snapping a 22-shot rally—the longest of the match—to shut to 3-5. Although he gained that battle, Atmane misplaced the warfare netting a backhand to face three set factors.
On his second set level, Sinner’s serve discovered the Frenchman’s backhand jolting a large return because the US Open champion closed a fierce 46-minute opening set.
Sinner gained 29 of 33 serve factors within the opening set and hit 4 extra winners—15 to 11—than Atmane.
A highly-skilled and explosive participant, Atmane nonetheless has room for enchancment on his return and volley the place he has tremendous contact, however tends to predictably play the drop volley slightly than drive volleys deeper. On return, Atmane has a reasonably expansive grip change, so he tends to chip again returns. Sinner acknowledged it and threw in some efficient serve-and-volley performs.
Nonetheless, the 23 year-old Atmane threatened the highest seed’s serve firstly of the second set. Atmane gained six return factors in that first recreation—two greater than he’d gained the whole first set—however Sinner managed the stress shrewdly and spun a forehand move holding for 1-0.
That eight-and-a-half minute maintain empowered Sinner additional and he turned the screws on Atmane within the fourth recreation. Sinner scalded a crosscourt forehand for double break level—the primary break factors of the match after 68 minutes of play.
On his second break level, Sinner despatched a deep return by means of the center, drew the brief reply and tomahawked a forehand down the road breaking for 3-1.
A free-flowing Sinner stamped his fifth love maintain of the match for 4-1.
Credit score the qualifier for sticking to his weapons and happening firing huge. Atmane saved two match factors, together with pounding his ninth ace down the T to disclaim the primary.
On his third match level, Sinner slammed a deep return and drew the netted forehand sealing his twelfth consecutive win and increasing his Cincinnati successful streak to 9 matches.
Although Atmane’s superb Cincinnati run is over it propels him from No. 136 firstly of the match to No. 69 in the ATP Live rankings. That gained’t be sufficient to achieve direct entry into the US Open major draw as a result of the Flushing Meadows main used rankings from its July cutoff.
Which means if you will get to New York, you expertise Atmania stay in US Open qualifying beginning on Monday.
Sinner will attempt to lengthen his reign as King of Queen Metropolis within the Monday showdown towards Alcaraz or Zverev and appears each bit a formidable favourite to defend in Flushing Meadows.
