Sinner, Cincinnati semifinal against Atmane today: a 'brainy' against Jannik

A masterclass against Jannik Sinner, who celebrates his 24th birthday on court today . Terence Atmane, 23, is the revelation of the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The left-handed Frenchman, ranked 134th in the ATP rankings, faces Sinner, world number 1, in the semifinals today, August 16, and is looking for yet another feat on the Ohio hard courts.

After making it through qualifying, Atmane has consistently won as an outsider: he beat Italian Flavio Cobolli, world number 22, repeated his feat by defeating Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca, and then produced two masterpieces. He defeated American Taylor Fritz, world number 4, and in the quarterfinals, he bested Denmark's Holger Rune, world number ninth. Now the toughest obstacle awaits him: "Jannik is the most incredible player we've ever seen," he says.

Discovering Atmane

But who is Terence Atmane? Born in Bologna-sur-Mer on January 9, 2002, the French tennis player had never beaten a player in the top 20. Now, after Cincinnati, he will enter the top 100 for the first time in his career. Atmane, French media report, can exploit his extraordinary intelligence on the court: the tennis player is reportedly credited with an IQ of 158, well above average. "When my brain works properly on the court, I can be dangerous because I don't think like others. Sometimes, however, this can lead me to make the wrong choice because I get nervous or start thinking too much," he has explained in the past.

"Having a high intellectual potential helps me create surprises on the court," says the left-handed player, who made his way in Cincinnati thanks to his serve and forehand in particular.

Atmane, considered a skilled player, including a tactical one, hasn't yet exploded. His Cincinnati performance could be the turning point. The Frenchman will rise to 69th in the rankings. In Ohio, he'll earn at least $332,000, more than the $310,000 he's earned throughout his career in prize money: "That's a lot of money," he admitted. For now, Atmane doesn't have a technical sponsor: "I don't have any sponsors other than Tecnifibre for my rackets," he explained. It's a safe bet that, after the Cincinnati tournament, he'll have branded shirts and shoes.

Pokemon Obsession

Although Atmane dedicates much of his life to tennis, he also has other passions. Starting with Pokémon cards, which he has been collecting since he was very young. "I have one of the largest collections in France," he told ATPTour.com. "When I was little, I watched Pokémon on TV. It was quite natural, at school and everywhere, to talk about these Pokémon cards, and they were quite popular at the time. I remember playing with my friends at school, and as a child, I started collecting these game cards."