The Cincinnati Masters has begun, and there is a buzz in Mason, Ohio. The return of players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka onto the tour after a hectic Wimbledon has gotten many glued to their seats to watch some good hard-court tennis. Cincinnati will provide a good platform for the players to build some good hard-court form ahead of the final Grand Slam in New York, the US Open.
Atmane’s Cincinnati run catches eyeballs
Despite the return of Sinner and Alcaraz in the ATP draw, the buzz isn’t entirely about them. Frenchman Terrence Atmane has stolen everyone’s eyes with a rather inspiring performance so far as he finds himself in the Round of 16. Atmane has come through the qualifiers stage, winning both his qualifying rounds matches without dropping a set. He beat two Australians, Omar Jasika and Li Tu, in both those matches to find a place in the main draw.
He made sure his form stayed as he impressively brushed aside Yoshihito Nishioka in the Round of 128. His next match wasn’t an easy one as he had to see off in-form Italian Flavio Cobolli. It was a tight contest with Atmane getting across the line in a third-set tiebreaker. After getting through the second round test he easily breezed through his Round of 32 clash against Joao Fonseca in straight sets 6-3 6-4.
With a week so impressive, Atmane now finds himself amongst the 16 best players in the tournament. His next match, though, will be his toughest test so far. He will be up against fourth seed Taylor Fritz, who just made it to the semifinals last week in Toronto. Atmane has struggled to make it to the main draw this season.
Whenever he has, it has been a short-lived pleasure as he has been knocked out early. With two Challenger-level titles this year, he has finally shown consistency in an ATP tournament at the highest level. There will be nothing more pleasing for the Frenchman than getting a deep run under his belt in a Masters event. That will give his young career a much-needed boost.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
