French qualifier Terence Atmane toppled another top-10 player in Holger Rune on Thursday to line up a semifinal showdown with world number one Jannik Sinner at the Cincinnati Open.
Atmane followed up his victory over fourth-ranked Taylor Fritz with a 6-2, 6-3 win over ninth-ranked Rune.
The 23-year-old will now face the ultimate test against defending champion Sinner, who said he “felt great” as he thrashed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2.
“I don’t think any words can describe how I feel right now,” the 136th-ranked Atmane said after blasting 22 winners past Rune, 14 of them off his powerful lefty forehand.
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“It’s pretty insane to be honest,” added Atmane, who will move inside the top 100 in the rankings for the first time.
“I cannot believe it. Being here in the semifinals of a Masters 1000, breaking into the top 100. It means a lot to me,” he added.
He will face a formidable challenge in Wimbledon champion Sinner, who powered through a rapid-fire opening set and bounced back quickly after dropping serve to open the second.
Sinner prevailed in a brief 71 minutes as he claimed an eighth victory in a row at this event and his 30th match win this season.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com