Atmane referenced a paradox related to aliens after beating Holger Rune to reach his first ATP 1,000 semifinal.

Qualifier Terence Atmane made a trip to a sporting goods store to buy more Reds gear the morning of his upset of No. 9 seed Holger Rune on Aug. 14

A rampaging Jannik Sinner will cross paths with a spirited Terence Atmane in their first-ever meeting on the ATP Tour. Sinner will be battling history along with Atmane, for no player has defended his title in a decade.

In addition to Rune and Fritz, Atmane got through Joao Fonseca and Flavio Cobolli in Cincinnati. He entered the main draw through the tournament's qualifying matches, becoming the first qualifier to reach the semifinal in Cincinnati since 2015.

The semifinals are set at the Cincinnati Open. Here are the eight remaining players bidding for a title in Mason.

Well, well, well. Look who just crashed the party and made himself right at home. While tennis fans were busy debating whether Jannik Sinner could maintain his world No.

Atmane's fairytale run to the semi-finals might have been helped by his impressive brain power, given that he claims to have an IQ of 158. It would put him just two behind Einstein's rumoured score of 160,

On Aug. 13, he broke into the projected top 100 rankings after logging the biggest win of his young career, taking down ATP No. 4 Taylor Fritz to move on to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open. Atmane, who entered the tournament as a qualifier, came back from a set down to take the match 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.