India, Aug. 16 -- Unheralded and unsponsored, French qualifier Terence Atmane has electrified the Cincinnati Masters, carving a path into the semi-finals. At just 23 years old, the left-handed underdog has defied expectations; ranked 136 in the world at the start of the week, Atmane delivered a stunning statement by defeating World No. 9 Holger Rune 6-2, 6-3 in Thursday's quarter-final. The victory, accomplished in just one hour and 13 minutes, followed his earlier upset of World No. 4 Taylor Fritz.

With these back-to-back triumphs, Atmane became the first qualifier to reach the Cincinnati Masters last four since 2015 and the first Frenchman to do so since Richard Gasquet in 2019.

Atmane's journey began in the qualifying rounds, where h...