Terence Atmane scored his second big upset of the 2025 Cincinnati Open, beating Holger Rune in the quarterfinals on Friday. Earlier, he had beaten American No. 1 Taylor Fritz for the biggest win of his career yet.
With his place in the semifinals certain, the Frenchman is set to earn at least $332,160, coming all the way from the qualifiers. Speaking at his on-court interview after the 6-2, 6-3 win over Rune, Atmane got emotional, admitting that he had not expected to earn so much at Cincinnati.
He also revealed that he had to fight with little to no sleep, his emotions and adrenaline getting the better of him after the win over Fritz.
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“It’s insane. I can’t believe it…it’s also a lot of money for me. I’m very emotional about it. I couldn’t 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.”
Holger Rune, to his credit, was chuffed for his conqueror, taking to social media to deliver a sweet 'good luck' message.
"I have known you Terrence since juniors, tennis is a tough journey and I am happy for your run here at @CincyTennis and what it will mean in the future for you. Good luck onwards," Rune tweeted.
Interestingly, Terence Atmane's camera message after the quarterfinal win read 'Fermi's Paradox' -- a rather unique one by usual ATP standards. For those who are aware of Atmane, however, this comes as no surprise.
First things first: The 'Fermi Paradox,' named after Enrico Fermi, one of the greatest physicists in history, deals with the obvious disconnect between the lack of extraterrestrial sighting and the high probability that it SHOULD exist. Now, why is Atmane talking about this?
For starters, Atmane has a recorded IQ of 158, putting him in the top 1% of all intelligent minds on earth and very highly superior compared to the average human being. Why he chose to write 'Fermi's Paradox' on the camera after the win is not clear but it could have something to do with the fact that he, a World No. 136, finds himself in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament, a rarity in itself.
Atmane has spoken at length before about how his high IQ affects his tennis play, revealing in an interview with the ATP Tour that it makes him 'more emotional' and 'nervous' on the court. Thankfully, the Frenchman has managed to work in his favor, rather than succumb to the temperamental nature of his mind.
"I’m more emotional than the usual guy because I’m thinking more. I have more thoughts in my head. I’ve always been someone very sensitive, very nice,” Atmane said. “I was always very nervous on court. I remember when I was 10 years old, I was already breaking racquets. It was like always part of me. So taking this off took a lot of time.”
Up next, Atmane will take on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, with a potential final against Carlos Alcaraz lined up for the winner.
"I want to connect with people" - Terence Atmane on playing tennis as his profession
In the same interview with ATP Tour, Terence Atmane also spoke about what it meant for him to be a tennis player, stating that he loved connecting with fans and that he had always enjoyed the idea of being a sports pro.
“It's very beautiful that I can do it now as a living. If someone stops me to get a picture, I cannot say no. It’s part of me. I want to connect with people,” Atmane said. “I’m very sensitive about it, very careful about it because I really like to have these little moments with people in general. It has always been like this. [I’m] someone who really loves what they are doing.”
The 23-year-old has not won a title on the ATP Tour yet, and this current run to the Cincinnati Open semifinals marks his best run at a Masters 1000 tournament yet.
