Cincinnati Masters 1000: Terence Atmane, in full control, offers himself an unprecedented quarter-final

In Ohio, on Wednesday, August 13 (Thursday night in mainland France), French tennis discovered a new face: that of Térence Atmane. Coming from the qualifiers, he defeated the world number 4, the American Taylor Fritz, and validated his ticket to the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati – which he will play on Thursday (Friday night in mainland France) against the Dane Holger Rune (9th).

With 13 aces and a powerful forehand that often overwhelmed his opponent, the 23-year-old left-hander concluded the match after two hours of play (3-6, 7-5, 6-3), his face marked by emotion. "It's the best victory of my career. I'm lost for words," declared the 136th player in the world to the organizers' microphone, unable to hold back a few tears. In fact, Terence Atmane had never before beaten a member of the top 20.

Before outclassing Taylor Fritz, the native of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) had successively beaten Flavio Cobolli (22nd), then the Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca, 52nd in the world at only 18 years old. "I hope this is the start of a long series. It's up to me to continue working so that this tournament becomes a base on which to build," insisted Térence Atmane. He is preparing to enter the top 100, in 93rd place, for the first time in his professional career.

His performances in Cincinnati also allowed him, in some ways, to restore his image, previously tarnished by his on-court misconduct. In 2024, at Roland Garros, in a fit of frustration, he sent a ball off the court, hitting a spectator. In early May 2025, in the semi-finals of the Wuxi Challenger (China), he also attracted attention after knocking over a cooler, which led to a brief interruption of the match while the court dried. A few days later, his first-round defeat to Richard Gasquet at the French Open ended with boos from the crowd, after his behavior was deemed inappropriate.

This was one too many for the French Tennis Federation (FFT), which then organized a meeting at the initiative of Gilles Moretton, its president, and Ivan Ljubicic, head of high-level tennis, which was also attended by Alexis Gramblat, vice-president of the body, and Franck Paque, president of the Tennis Club of Boulogne-sur-Mer and federal representative. On this occasion, Térence Atmane was called to order, with the FFT emphasizing both his potential and the need for a more measured attitude. "There is much more seriousness in what I do on and off the court," he now acknowledges.

Until now, Terence Atmane had built his career on the secondary circuit: four Challenger titles. On the ATP Tour, aside from a third-round appearance at the 2024 Masters 1000 in Rome, he had won little. Since the last edition of Roland-Garros, he has won only three matches, including two in Challenger matches, and arrived in Cincinnati weakened by a left foot injury. However, he made it through qualifying without dropping a set, before reaching the quarterfinals.

His transformation also relies on the newfound stability of his coaching staff. Physiotherapist Guillaume Peyre, who was already at his side in the spring when he won the tournaments in Pusan (South Korea) and Canton (China), is part of his staff for the North American tour. Hicham Messadia, a physical trainer who worked with Caroline Garcia, has also joined his team. "We will have to continue our efforts so that these kinds of results become the norm, and not an achievement," explains Térence Atmane.

Now comes the question of consistency. Like his compatriot Benoît Paire before him, he is one of those players with obvious talent, but who has sometimes let his emotions get the better of him, which has hindered his long-term progress. Regardless of the outcome of his duel with Holger Rune, his performance in Cincinnati shows that he can channel his energy and translate his potential into concrete results.