Latest news with #TerenceAtmane
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Jannik Sinner ends Terence Atmane's dream run to reach Cincinnati Open final
Jannik Sinner, the top seed and defending champion ended the French qualifier Terence Atmane's dream run at the Cincinnati Open with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win to reach the final of the US Open warm-up event. Sinner, playing on his 24th birthday, won a remarkable 91% of his first-serve points, did not face a single break point during the 86-minute match and converted two of five break points in his first career meeting with Atmane, the world No 136. 'Very, very tough challenge,' Sinner said on court after being serenaded with Happy Birthday by the crowd. 'Every time when you play against someone completely new it's very difficult. 'I knew that I had to be very, very careful and my mindset today was in a good spot. I feel like I handled situations on the court very well.' The Italian world No 1 had his hands full throughout a tightly contested first set which featured an imperious serving display from both men and not a single break point opportunity for either player. Sinner, who lost only three points on serve in the opening set, held to love for a third consecutive game to force the tie-break, where Atmane handed his opponent the first point with a double fault and from there the Italian never looked back. The reigning US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon champion opened the second set with a nine-minute hold of serve, then held to love before finally breaking Atmane for a 3-1 lead that gave him the cushion he needed. Sinner followed that with another hold to love to go 4-1 up and all but end any hope for Atmane, who beat the top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. With Atmane serving at 2-5 and looking to stay in the match, Sinner quickly jumped ahead 0-40 before sealing the win on his third match point when the Frenchman sent a forehand into the net. Sinner will face either the No 2 seed, Carlos Alcaraz, or Alexander Zverev in Monday's final.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jannik Sinner ends Terence Atmane's dream run to set up another Carlos Alcaraz clash
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will clash in Sunday's Cincinnati Open final after the world's top two players won their respective semi-finals on Saturday. World No 1 Sinner and second-ranked Alcaraz will meet in a repeat of the French Open and Wimbledon finals earlier this summer. Sinner celebrated his 24th birthday by halting French wildcard Terence Atmane's surprise run to the last four in a 7-6 (4) 6-2 win. World No 136 Atmane - who had never been inside the top 100 but will now climb to 69 - went toe-to-toe with Sinner in a tight opening set, but the defending champion found an extra gear in the tie-break and cruised to victory in the second. It was Sinner's 26th successive hard-court win and his 12th in a row on all surfaces. "It was a very, very tough challenge," Sinner said on court after being serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd. "Every time when you play against someone completely new it's very difficult." Alcaraz brushed off Alexander Zverev in straight sets, beating the German 6-4 6-3. In the doubles event, British pair Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool saw their 22-match winning streak come to an end in the semi-finals. The Wimbledon champions had won their last four events but lost to Nikola Mektic and Rajeev Ram 7-6 (4) 7-6 (2).
The Hindu
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Watch: Atmane gifts birthday boy Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati Open semifinal
Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world number one a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semifinal meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6(4), 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. 'It's his birthday today so I had to give him a little something,' Atmane told reporters. "I have a little something for you" Wholesome moment between Jannik Sinner and Terence Atmane 🥹 — Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 16, 2025 'I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. 'If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card.' Sinner, who was also serenaded with 'Happy Birthday' by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. 'I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones,' the Italian told Tennis Channel. 'It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment ... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!' For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. 'Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here,' said world number 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. 'Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time.' He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. 'I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level.'
CNA
a day ago
- Sport
- CNA
Atmane gifts birthday boy Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati semi-final
Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world number one a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. "It's his birthday today so I had to give him a little something," Atmane told reporters. "I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. "If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card." Sinner, who was also serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. "I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones," the Italian told Tennis Channel. "It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment ... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!" For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. "Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here," said world number 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. "Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time." He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. "I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level."
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Atmane gifts birthday boy Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati semi-final
Aug 17 (Reuters) - Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world number one a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. "It's his birthday today so I had to give him a little something," Atmane told reporters. "I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. "If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card." Sinner, who was also serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. "I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones," the Italian told Tennis Channel. "It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment ... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!" For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. "Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here," said world number 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. "Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time." He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. "I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level."
