French qualifier Terence Atmane dismantled Holger Rune in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Cincinnati Open to extend his remarkable run.
The world No 136 needed just an hour and 13 minutes to earn a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win over ninth-ranked Rune.
The powerful left-hander won 85% of points behind his first serve and registered 21 winners to 18 unforced errors, while he broke the Dane’s serve four times.
Atmane has won seven straight matches to advance to the semi-finals in Cincinnati: five in the main draw and two in qualifying.
Having beaten world No 4 Taylor Fritz in the last 16 prior to his win over Rune, Atmane has become the fourth qualifier to record multiple wins over top 10 opponents at a single Masters 1000 event after Guillermo Canas, Jerzy Janowicz and Yannick Hanfmann.
Prior to his wins over Rune and Fritz, Atmane downed Joao Fonseca, Flavio Cobolli, Yoshihito Nishioka, Li Tu and Omar Jasika.
The Frenchman is just the third qualifier to make the last four of the men’s event in Cincinnati since 1990 after David Wheaton (1994) and Alexandr Dolgopolov (2015).
ATP Tour News
Who is Terence Atmane? French qualifier who stunned Taylor Fritz at the Cincinnati Open
Roger Federer’s ex-coach argues Novak Djokovic’s longevity will not be replicated
After his latest stunning win, Atmane said: “I don’t think any words can describe how I feel right now. 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.
“I couldn’t really sleep last night with the win against Taylor. I was just trying to be myself on court, trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I have nothing to lose, that’s the advantage I have of being the underdog here coming from the qualies.
“I think this is going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year and in my career in general.”
The 23-year-old has made a massive 67-place jump to 69th in the Live ATP Rankings with the 413 points he has gained in Cincinnati.
Atmane’s semi-final opponent is world No 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner, who he has never played before.
Sinner, who is the reigning champion in Cincinnati, destroyed world No 28 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner among the star names set for a share of $18.3 million cash windfall