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 immediately.
Moments earlier than the pair stepped on court docket, Atmane commemorated Sinner’s twenty fourth birthday by giving the highest seed a Pokemon card and a heartfelt hug.
After an enticing opening set, Sinner celebrated his birthday bash with a triumphant triple play return to the Cincinnati Open ultimate.
Defending champion Sinner stopped Atmane 7-6(4), 6-2 to attain his twenty sixth straight hard-court win—and two hundredth profession hard-court victory.
World No. 1 Sinner surged into his twenty eighth profession ultimate, together with his eighth profession ATP Masters 1000 ultimate.
“Very, very powerful match as a result of each time whenever you play in opposition to somebody utterly new, it’s very troublesome,” Sinner stated. “The stress is increased. You recognize 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 succeed in his eighth Masters ultimate #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 partaking 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.
Bear 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
Placing cleanly, Sinner smacked six aces in opposition to no double faults, received 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 “Completely happy Birthday.”
For Sinner, the music 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 ultimate.
“I really feel like I dealt with the scenario very nicely,” Sinner stated. “He has big potential and I feel we noticed that all through the event. From my aspect I’m very comfortable 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 ultimate.
Atmane is a number of enjoyable to observe and downright horrifying to face when he hundreds up on his deadly lefty forehand.
Hardly ever do you see the world No. 1 overpowered on court docket, however the explosive Frenchman disarmed Sinner at occasions 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 tip of the set.
Sinner slammed an ace to pressure the first-set tiebreaker.
The qualifier blinked first, committing the primary double fault of the day to present the mini break. Enjoying lockdown baseline tennis, Sinner drained 4 errors within the first six factors for a 4-2 lead.
In a crackling crosscourt trade, 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 received 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 received 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 superb contact, however tends to predictably play the drop volley moderately 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 in the beginning of the second set. Atmane received six return factors in that first recreation—two greater than he’d received the complete 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 quick 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 taking place firing large. 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 profitable streak to 9 matches.
Although Atmane’s superb Cincinnati run is over it propels him from No. 136 in the beginning of the event to No. 69 in the ATP Live rankings. That received’t be sufficient to achieve direct entry into the US Open fundamental draw as a result of the Flushing Meadows main used rankings from its July cutoff.
Meaning if you may get to New York, you expertise Atmania stay in US Open qualifying beginning on Monday.
Sinner will attempt to prolong his reign as King of Queen Metropolis within the Monday showdown in opposition to Alcaraz or Zverev and appears each bit a formidable favourite to defend in Flushing Meadows.
