On the day of his birthday, the world number one Jannik Sinner took out French qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6(4), 6-2 in a highly competitive one-hour and 26-minute contest for a place in the final at the Cincinnati Open.
“It was a very, very tough challenge,” commented the italian player courtside. “Every time you play against something completely new, it’s difficult, but playing against this guy in the later stages of a tournament is even more difficult. The pressure is higher, and you know they deserve to be there.”
An intriguing first meeting between the four-time major winner and the first qualifier to reach the men’s semifinals in Cincinnati in 10 years went the title defender’s way as Sinner imposed his aggressive baseline play to achieve his 200th tour-level win on the hard court surface.
Next, he will either face world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz for the fourth consecutive time in a final this season or former champion Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster match for the title on Monday.
The second semifinal match will feature in the evening session later today.
Playing his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, the 23-year-old went toe-to-toe with the Wimbledon champion in a tight first set where neither player faced a break point.
As a result, the opener unfolded into a tiebreaker that Sinner took 7-6(4) in 46 minutes, forcing three errors from his adversary.
Overall, the tournament’s finest surprise this season committed 15 unforced errors against just five from the San Candido native.
Making the most of his skillset and experience, the top seed fought off the spirited lefty with a combination of depth and power while sharp on serve - won 95 percent of the points on his first serve, and 75 percent with his second delivery, which proved pivotal to outplay his opponent.
“I knew that I had to be very careful, and my mindset was in a good spot,” he added. “I felt like I handled the situations on the court very well. He was serving incredibly well in the first set. He has huge, huge potential, and I think we saw that in the tournament.”
On a 26-match winning streak on hard courts, the 24-year-old stayed the course, stepping up the pressure to convert the first break point of the match in the fourth game of the second set.
Then, he held at love, extending his lead to 4-1 and never looked back.
Sinner pocketed the set 6-2 and the match by producing a double break in his third match point, a nearly flawless display.
All in all, he hit 21 winners against 16 unforced errors to his rival’s 16 and 24, respectively, winning 91 percent of the points on his first serve and converting two of five break points.
Meanwhile, the first Frenchman to reach the last four in Cincinnati since Richard Gasquet in 2019, showcased his all-court athleticism and gripping forehand, but, opposite to his previous matches, he did not play as freely, neutralized by the man who is ruling tennis.
Regardless, Atmane has plenty of reason to celebrate an impressive run on North American soil, coming through qualifying to stun world No. 4 Taylor Fritz for the biggest win of his career and world No. 9 Holger Rune, recording his first Top 10 victories.
Moreover, from Monday, he will crack into the Top 100 for the first time in his young career.