Jannik Sinner turned 24 on the day of his Cincinnati Open semifinal clash against Térence Atmane, and he received a few surprises from the crowd as well as from his opponent. The Italian marked his birthday in fine fashion by beating the Frenchman in straight sets.
Jannik Sinner’s Birthday Surprises in Cincinnati
Sinner and Atmane had a heartwarming moment before they stepped out on court for their semifinal. The Frenchman gave the World No. 1 a Pokémon card as a gift before wishing him good luck for the match. Sinner later revealed that the card was one of Pikachu.
Jannik Sinner reveals the Pokémon card he got from Terence Atmane on his birthday before their match in Cincinnati.
Pikachu! ⚡️🦊
pic.twitter.com/rwVkjjVoDJ https://t.co/6aBq1PYW1P
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 16, 2025
Before this, the crowd sang happy birthday to Sinner during his practice session. The Italian showed his appreciation towards the gesture by waving at them.
Cincy sing along 🎼🎂#CincyTennis | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/Z8SBK6CYy7
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 16, 2025
Jannik Sinner has had an impressive run so far in Cincinnati. The defending champion received a bye to the second round of the tournament due to his seeding and here, he faced Daniel Elahi Galán. Sinner won 6-1, 6-1 to set up a third-round clash with 30th seed Gabriel Diallo.
The Italian was pushed by the Canadian in the second set but he managed to win 6-2, 7-6(6) to book his place in the fourth round in Cincinnati. Here, he played French qualifier Adrian Mannarino, who put up a tough fight, but could not prevent the World No. 1 from winning 6-4, 7-6(4).
Sinner then faced 23rd seed Félix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals, entering the match having lost both of his prior encounters against the Canadian. However, the Italian produced a dominant performance to win 6-0, 6-2 and book his place in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.
Sinner Reached 2nd Successive Final in Cincinnati
Sinner and Atmane’s semifinal had a highly competitive first set, with the Italian winning it via a tiebreak. However, he dominated the second set and won it to register a 7-6(4), 6-2 win and reach his second straight final in Cincinnati. The World No. 1 became the first player to attain this feat since Roger Federer, who won his last two titles at the Masters 1000 event in 2014 and 2015.
Here, Sinner will face either second seed Carlos Alcaraz or third seed Alexander Zverev. While the Spaniard edged out Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals, the German made easy work of fifth seed Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-2.
If Sinner faces Alcaraz in the final, it will be their fourth encounter this year, having previously locked horns in title clashes in Rome, French Open, and Wimbledon. The Italian and Zverev have faced one another seven times before, with the German leading the head-to-head 4-3. However, Sinner has won the last two meetings between the two, with the most recent one of them coming in the Australian Open final earlier this year.
