Terence Atmane appears to be in disbelief over his fairytale Cincinnati Masters run as the world No. 136 says all of this feels "insane" to him and admits he is also thrilled about his big payday.
On Thursday, the French tennis player put another chapter to his already-stunning Cincinnati campaign after routing No. 7 seed 6-2 6-3 to reach the semifinal. For the 23-year-old - who previously needed to win two qualifying matches just to get into the main draw - it was his seventh win at this year's tournament edition.
En route to making his first ATP semifinal of any sort, Atmane also shocked No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz, as well as had very notable victories over Joao Fonseca ad Flavio Cobolli. As a reward for his run, the Frenchman - who has never been ranked higher than world No. 118 - is guaranteed to improve at least 67 spots and be ranked inside the top-70 after Cincinnati ends.
Also, there is the money part - Atmane has already bagged $332k for reaching the semifinal - which is by far his biggest earning at a single tournament. Prior to coming to Cincinnati, the 23-year-old had earned $310k in 2025 and $935k in career prize money.
Atmante: I can't believe... It is also a lot of money for me
Its insane. I cant believe it... Its also a lot of money for me. Im very emotional about it. I couldnt sleep last night after the Taylor win, but I was trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I had nothing to lose," the world No. 136 said.
For a place in the Cincinnati semifinal. Atmane will take on defending champion and No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner. It would be quite something if the French qualifier pulled off another surprise there.
