Holger Rune sends message to Terence Atmane on social media after shock defeat to him in Cincinnati

Holger Rune stepped on court as a big favorite to reach his second Masters 1000 semifinal of the season, but came up short.

The Danish star hadn’t dropped a set in any of his opening three matches in Cincinnati, as Rune made his way past Roman Safiullin, Alex Michelsen, and Frances Tiafoe.

Standing between Rune and a place in the semis was French qualifier Terence Atmane, currently ranked 136th on the ATP Tour.

Expected to ease into the last four, Rune was stunned by Atmane on Centre Court, losing to the 23-year-old in straight sets, 2-6, 3-6.

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Reflecting on his quarterfinal defeat, the world number nine sent a message to Atmane on social media.

Holger Rune wishes Terence Atmane ‘good luck’ after their Cincinnati quarterfinal

Heading on to X after the match, Rune sent a message to Atmane, wishing him good luck for the rest of the tournament.

“I have known you, Terence [Atmane], since juniors, tennis is a tough journey, and I am happy for your run here at the Cincinnati Open and what it will mean in the future for you,” he said.

“Good luck onwards.”

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Set to break into the world’s top 100 after his brilliant week in Cincinnati, Atmane will no longer have to qualify for the biggest events on tour, gaining access to the main draws of Grand Slam and (most) Masters 1000 tournaments.

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Atmane will also receive the biggest prize money cheque of his career in Cincinnati, earning himself $129,970 for his run through to the last four.

To put that into context, Atmane had earned just over $300,000 in the entirety of his 2025 campaign to date.

The Frenchman is currently sitting at 69th in the Live Rankings, but could make further jumps should he go all the way in Cincinnati.

Performance Rank Points Pre-tournament 136 460 After Holger Rune win 69 873 After semifinal win 42 1,123 After title 33 1,473 Terence Atmane – hypothetical rankings

If Atmane were to continue his remarkable winning run and somehow pick up the title in Cincinnati, he could rise to 33rd in the world.

In doing so, Atmane would be right on the cusp of a Grand Slam seed, another landmark achievement.

However, whilst the dream is still alive, Atmane will certainly be up against it if he wants to get over the line and win his next two matches at the Cincinnati Open.

Who will Terence Atmane have to beat to win the Cincinnati Open?

Standing between Atmane and a place in the Cincinnati Open final is Jannik Sinner, the defending champion.

The Italian is the heavy favorite to win the tournament and hasn’t dropped a set en route to the semis.

Sinner was particularly dominant in his quarterfinal win, breezing past Felix Auger-Aliassime, losing just four games.

Atmane will look to become just the third player (after Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Bublik) to beat Sinner in 2025, but will most certainly take to the court as the underdog.

If Atmane does pull off what would be one of the biggest upsets in years, he would still have a lot of work to do before he can call himself a Masters 1000 champion.

The four quarterfinalists in the bottom half of the draw are all former Masters champions and currently reside in the top 15.

Player Rank Masters 1000 titles QF opponent Carlos Alcaraz 2 7 Andrey Rublev Alexander Zverev 3 7 Ben Shelton Ben Shelton 6 1 Alexander Zverev Andrey Rublev 11 2 Carlos Alcaraz 2025 Cincinnati Open semifinalists

Again, Atmane would enter a potential final against any of those four men as the underdog, although world number two Carlos Alcaraz would likely provide the toughest challenge.

The Spaniard is the only player on tour to have won multiple titles at the Masters 1000 level in 2025, picking up wins in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

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It remains to be seen if Atmane can overcome the odds in Cincinnati, but if he continues to perform as well as he has so far this week, who knows what is possible?

Atmane will return to take on Sinner in the semifinals on Saturday, August 16.

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