Atmane Edges Out Cobolli in Thrilling Second-Round Match in Cincinnati

French tennis shone on the courts of Cincinnati this Saturday. After victories by Rinderknech against Ruud, Bonzi over Musetti, Mannarino against Machac, and Humbert defeating Wong, a fourth French player secured his spot in the third round in Ohio: Terence Atmane.

Like Rinderknech, Mannarino, and Bonzi, the Frenchman took down a seeded player, Flavio Cobolli. Ranked 136th in the world this week and coming through qualifying after wins over Omar Jasika and Tu Li, Atmane had already eliminated Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round (6-2, 6-2).

The challenge grew tougher against Cobolli, the world No. 22, who claimed his first two ATP titles this year in Bucharest and Hamburg on clay. But Atmane, firing 29 winners including 9 aces, managed to clinch the match despite numerous unforced errors (44). In the end, after a nail-biting finish, Atmane prevailed (6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in 2h16) and advanced to the round of 16.

The 23-year-old, who reaches the third round of a Masters 1000 for the second time in his career after Rome 2024, will face João Fonseca for a chance to make the quarterfinals. The Brazilian, who struggled early in his match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, benefited from the Spaniard’s retirement due to illness to secure his own spot.