There’s no stopping Atmane! After his two Challenger titles (second division), gleaned in September in the Middle Kingdom (in Zhang-jiagagng and Guangzhou), the 148th world player from the Shanghai qualifications dominated this Thursday Jordan Thompson, 62nd in the ATP , in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-1). In the 2nd round, he will meet the Chilean Nicolas Jarry, seeded 22. To continue his crazy rise.
Tall (1.93 m), left-handed and big server Terence Atmane had no complexes against the Australian. After leading 6-3, 3-1, he conceded five consecutive games. And after erasing three break points at the start of the third set, the native of Boulogne-sur-Mer in turn played five games in a row to knock out his experienced opponent. His meteoric progress continues. Ranked 300th at the start of the year, the current 147th in the world can aim to participate in the NexGen Masters in Saudi Arabia (from November 28 to December 2) which will bring together the 8 best players in the world aged 21 and under.
In Behind The Racquet, this summer, he confided to having been diagnosed with HPI (High Intellectual Potential): “I think what differentiates me from other players is my instinct. My IQ is above 158, so when my brain is working properly on the court, I can be dangerous because I don’t think like others. Sometimes, though, it can lead me to make the wrong choice because I get nervous or start overthinking. But it’s something I’m working on and I think I can turn it into a weapon on the circuit. »