Unless you’re a tennis die-hard, you probably didn’t know much about Terence Atmane before this week.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is ranked as the World No. 136 and has played just 14 matches on the ATP Tour in the last calendar year.
Atmane has had plenty of success on the Challenger Tour, but it hadn’t translated to the big leagues — until now.
To say it’s a surprise that Atmane is in the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters, one of the most prestigious tournaments outside of the Grand Slams, is a wild understatement.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | -2000 |
| Terence Atmane | 10/1 |
We’ve seen qualifiers make runs at big-ticket events in the past, but few have had to navigate the path that Atmane has to get to the final four.
The 23-year-old defeated World No. 22 Flavio Cobolli in the Round of 64, upset rising star Joao Fonseca in his next match and then took care of Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune, two top-10 players, to set up a date with Jannik Sinner on Saturday.
Sinner, as usual, has been imperious in Cincinnati.
He’s yet to drop a set (8-0), and he’s only lost 22 games in his first four matches. That’s an average of 2.75 games lost per set.
Atmane is a 10/1 underdog against Sinner, but he’s just pulled two massive upsets to get to this point, so he’ll be brimming with confidence and playing with house money.
It also wouldn’t be a shock if it takes Sinner a handful of games to get used to Atmane’s peculiar serve and his all-out attacking style.
The Play: Terence Atmane to win the first set (+520, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.