French qualifier Terence Atmane, ranked World No. 136, caused a major surprise at the 2025 Cincinnati Open by defeating fourth seed and American favorite Taylor Fritz to advance to the quarterfinals. This breakthrough victory marks Atmane’s best performance in a Masters 1000 tournament to date, highlighting his rising presence on the ATP Tour.

Since turning professional in 2022, Atmane had struggled to make a significant impact on the main Tour, playing just 19 main-draw matches and winning only five prior to this event. Yet he found success on the lower-tier circuits, capturing five ITF titles and four Challenger titles, including wins in Busan and Guangzhou earlier this year. His steady progress in these tournaments set the stage for his impressive leap at Cincinnati.

Atmane first appeared in a Masters 1000 event in 2023, with his best result until now being a third-round showing at the Italian Open, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov. His deep run this year in Cincinnati is propelling him toward a career-high ATP ranking, as he currently is positioned at No. 93 in the live rankings.

Throughout the Cincinnati Open, Atmane demonstrated remarkable consistency. He earned his place in the main draw after winning straight sets against Omar Jasika and Li Tu in the qualifiers. In the main event, he dispatched Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets in the opening round, followed by a hard-fought three-set victory over 15th seed Flavio Cobolli. He then defeated Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca in straight sets to secure his spot in the round of 16.

Atmane’s Resilient Comeback Against Taylor Fritz Seals Quarterfinal Spot

Before this match, Taylor Fritz held a one-match advantage over Atmane, narrowly winning in two tiebreak sets at Shanghai last year. As the higher-ranked and home favorite player, Fritz was expected to continue his dominance and began strongly by taking the first set 6-3.

However, Atmane bounced back immediately in the second set, earning an early service break to surge ahead 3-0. Fritz responded by breaking back, leveling the set at 5-5, but Atmane broke again in the twelfth game to claim the set. In the decisive third set, Atmane secured a crucial break in the fifth game and maintained his composure to serve out the match, winning 6-3 and sealing a memorable victory.

With this triumph, Atmane will now face seventh seed Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, marking their first-ever matchup on the ATP Tour.