How one on-court blunder cost Jannik Sinner's upcoming Cincinnati opponent without a sponsor; continues to compete solo
With these back-to-back triumphs, Atmane became the first qualifier to reach the Cincinnati Masters last four since 2015 and the first Frenchman to do so since Richard Gasquet in 2019.
Atmane's journey began in the qualifying rounds, where he fought through two matches just to reach the main draw. Against Rune, he unleashed a commanding performance, striking 14 forehand winners and controlling the rallies with remarkable poise. The display marked a sharp turnaround from a 2025 season in which he had only managed a single tour-level victory prior to this week, highlighting the intensity of his recent surge.
Now, Atmane faces World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Regardless of the outcome, the Frenchman's ranking will leap 67 spots to No. 69 in the ATP men's singles list, marking a career-best position. His prize money for the tournament has already reached USD 332,160, surpassing the USD 310,376 he earned all season before Cincinnati.
"I don't think any words can describe how I feel right now," Atmane said after his quarter-final triumph. "It's pretty insane to be honest. I cannot believe it. Being here in the semi-finals of a Masters 1000, breaking into the Top 100 and even more with the win tonight - it's also a lot of money for me, so it's going to be very helpful for my career. It means a lot to me. I'm very emotional about it."
Why is Atmane without a sponsor?
The week has also served as personal vindication for Atmane, who lost his sponsorship deal with Asics in September 2024 after appearing on court in Shanghai wearing Nike trainers. Since then, he has competed without a clothing or shoe sponsor, relying entirely on his own resources.
Meanwhile, Sinner secured his semi-final berth with an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, marking his first victory over the Canadian in three meetings. With the win, Sinner extended his hard-court winning streak to 25 matches, joining an exclusive club of players in this century to achieve such a feat—following the footsteps of the Big Four: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Haaland fires Man City to opening win at Wolves
Manchester City signalled their intent to take back the Premier League title as Erling Haaland struck twice in a 4-0 win at Wolves on Saturday to begin their campaign. HT Image After four consecutive titles, City finished a distant third last season as Pep Guardiola's men failed to win any trophy for the first time in eight years. New signings Tijjani Reijnders, who was the star of the show at Molineux, and Rayan Cherki were also on target to give Guardiola hope his side will be back in the title race this season. Guardiola made a bold call amid ongoing uncertainty over City's goalkeeping situation. James Trafford made his first senior appearance for the club after returning for a second spell at the Etihad from Burnley. Ederson was not in the travelling squad as he is reportedly close to a move to Galatasaray, which could see City pursue a deal for out-of-favour Paris Saint-Germain 'keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Wolves are among the favourites to be relegated after losing talisman Matheus Cunha to Manchester United. Vitor Pereira's were ultimately well beaten, but the outcome could have been very different had they made the most of an uncertain City start. Marshall Munetsi powered a header into the bottom corner but was flagged offside. Instead, the game swung decisively in City's favour with two goals in three minutes, thanks to Reijnders creativity and goal threat from midfield. The £46.5 million ($63 million) signing from AC Milan jinked through the Wolves midfield before dinking a pass into Rico Lewis, who squared for Haaland to tap in at the back post. Moments later Oscar Bobb released Reijnders to arrow in a precise finish on his left foot. Trafford did not have many saves to make, but showed his ability with his feet to begin a flowing move for City's third. The England goalkeeper cushioned a long pass into Reijnders, who played a one-two with Bobb, before cutting the ball back for a clinical Haaland finish. Haaland was denied the chance to net a hat-trick as he was replaced by Cherki 17 minutes from time. The French international took just another eight minutes to make his mark by picking out the bottom corner from outside the box. Tougher tests of this new-look City are around the corner with Tottenham, Brighton, Arsenal and Manchester United in their next four league games. But the convincing nature of victory was more like the City of old, which will strike fear into their title rivals. kca/ea GALATASARAY SPORTIF
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
St. Louis Rapid and Blitz: Gukesh ends tied 6th; Aronian wins title
Synopsis Levon Aronian of USA emerged victorious at the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz, securing the title with a comfortable lead. Despite a strong start on the final day, India's Gukesh finished tied sixth. Aronian's win marks his second consecutive title, while Gukesh now prepares for the Sinquefield Cup, where he will compete alongside R Praggnanandhaa. ANI Gukesh World champion GM D Gukesh finished tied sixth as Levon Aronian of USA convincingly won the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz that concluded here. Gukesh raised visions of a great comeback on the final day of the event as he raced to 3.5 points from his first four games. Conceding a draw to Aronian in the first game, the Indian accounted for Americans Shankland, Wesley So and Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov before losing steam. In the last five games, Gukesh drew three and lost two games to end his overall campaign on 18 points. Aronian started the day with two points lead and won the event two rounds to spare scoring 24.5 points. Fabiano Caruana of United States finished a distant second on 21.5 points, a half point more than the French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who finished third. Abdusattorov ended fourth on 20.5 while Wesley So finished on 19 to finish fifth ahead of Gukesh and Liem Le Quang of Vietnam. For Aronian, this was the second back-to-back title after the 42 years old had won the Freestyle Grand slam at Las Vegas also quite easily in the end. The winner got USD 40,000 out of a total pool of USD 175,000. Gukesh will now train his sights for the next event that starts in just two days. The Sinquefield cup is the last event before the finals of the Grand Chess tour and Gukesh will be joined by compatriot R Praggnanandhaa for the event. It will be time to change gears as the Sinquefield cup will be played under Classical chess rules - the forte of Gukesh.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
St. Louis Rapid and Blitz: Gukesh ends tied 6th; Aronian wins title
World champion GM D Gukesh finished tied sixth as Levon Aronian of USA convincingly won the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz that concluded here. Independence Day 2025 Modi signals new push for tech independence with local chips Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose gave India its own currency Gukesh raised visions of a great comeback on the final day of the event as he raced to 3.5 points from his first four games. Conceding a draw to Aronian in the first game, the Indian accounted for Americans Shankland, Wesley So and Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov before losing steam. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 15 Most Beautiful Women in the World Undo In the last five games, Gukesh drew three and lost two games to end his overall campaign on 18 points. Aronian started the day with two points lead and won the event two rounds to spare scoring 24.5 points. Fabiano Caruana of United States finished a distant second on 21.5 points, a half point more than the French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who finished third. Live Events Abdusattorov ended fourth on 20.5 while Wesley So finished on 19 to finish fifth ahead of Gukesh and Liem Le Quang of Vietnam. For Aronian, this was the second back-to-back title after the 42 years old had won the Freestyle Grand slam at Las Vegas also quite easily in the end. The winner got USD 40,000 out of a total pool of USD 175,000. Gukesh will now train his sights for the next event that starts in just two days. The Sinquefield cup is the last event before the finals of the Grand Chess tour and Gukesh will be joined by compatriot R Praggnanandhaa for the event. It will be time to change gears as the Sinquefield cup will be played under Classical chess rules - the forte of Gukesh.
