Terence Atmane Reveals his Brief Exchange With Jannik Sinner After Their Cincinnati Open Semifinals

Qualifier Terence Atmane reached his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal at the Cincinnati Open, where he lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner.

Terence Atmane Reveals his Brief Exchange With Jannik Sinner After Their Cincinnati Open Semifinals

Jannik Sinner, Terence Atmane (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

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World No. 136 Terence Atmane had a phenomenal run at the Canadian Open, reaching his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal. Entering as a qualifier, the left-handed underdog defeated several higher-ranked players, including fourth seed Taylor Fritz and seventh seed Holger Rune, on his way to the semifinal.

In the semifinal he set up a clash with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, falling in straight sets to the Italian. This marked a sharp turnaround from a 2025 season in which Atmane had only secured a single tour-level match win before playing in Cincinnati, showcasing the intensity of his recent surge.

Despite the straight-set loss, the first set was quite competitive, with neither player facing a break point. Sinner dominated the second set, breaking for a 3-1 lead with a winner and closing the match 7-6(4), 6-2 after the Frenchman netted a forehand to reach the final.

Atmane and Sinner met for the first time on court, and later the 23-year-old gave insights on his brief exchange after the match with the World No. 1 (H/T: L’equipe):

He wished me well, to keep going, to keep working. I told him that I will do my best to succeed in playing him as many times as possible in my career. I will have to work hard to be at the level of the best.

Sinner is into his second consecutive Cincinnati Open final, the next man to do so since Roger Federer (2014-15). The Italian, who faced Frances Tiafoe in the championship match last year, will face archrival Carlos Alcaraz in the final this year. The Spaniard has an 8-5 head-to-head record over Sinner.

Terence Atmane’s birthday gift for Jannik Sinner

Another moment that caught the attention of fans was Terence Atmane‘s birthday gift for Jannik Sinner. The two faced each other on the Italian’s 24th birthday, and Atmane, an avid Pokemon card collector, gifted Sinner a Pikachu card in the tunnel before their match commenced. Speaking about the gift, Atmane remarked:

I had to give him a little something. I was thinking last night about what should I give to him. … I was like, OK, why not give him just a Pokemon card? It’s like, it’s just me. I’m Pokemon card collector. I think this is like the perfect gift.”If that was my birthday, I will be so happy that someone [gave me] a Pokemon card. So I was like, OK, why not just [give to] him, like a very nice Pokemon card?

Jannik Sinner Terence Atmane pikachu pokemon card birthday Cincinnati Open semifinal 2025
Jannik Sinner and Terence Atmane (image via ATP), Pikachu (image via Pokemon.com)

Atmane’s gift was a nice way to break the ice between both players and marked a lighthearted moment before an intense semifinal match. For fans it also evoked a sense of nostalgia when they saw this cute exchange, reminding them of their childhood days, when many 2000s kids grew up collecting and trading Pokemon cards.

Why does Terence Atmane not have any main sponsor?

Apart from his racquet sponsor, Tecnifibre, Terence Atmane doesn’t have any other sponsors. He lost his sponsorship deal with Asics in September last year after carrying a pair of Nike trainers to the Shanghai Masters. Following this event, Asics decided to immediately drop Atmane for what appeared to be a breach of contract.

Terence Atmane Cincinnati Open 2025
Terence Atmane (image via Instagram/Terence Atmane)

Since then, he has been competing without a clothing or shoe sponsor. Now that he has risen to a career high of World No. 69 in the Live ATP rankings following his sensational run in Cincinnati, it might be easier for him to find a new sponsor.

Also Read: (Video) Terence Atmane Gifts Pokemon Card to Birthday Boy Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati: “He Has One of the Biggest Collections”