Cincinnati Open semi-finalist set to bank £245k has no sponsors and buys his own kit

Terence Atmane has emerged as the breakout star of the Cincinnati Open. The Frenchman entered the tournament as a qualifier ranked down at No. 136, and he's now through to the semi-final after upsetting two top-10 players in Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.

Atmane is now set to crack the world's top 100 for the first time and has already banked himself at least £245k in prize money by reaching the last four. But the 23-year-old still doesn't have a clothing or shoe sponsor, and he's been forced to buy his own kit while competing on the tour.

Without an agent to negotiate brand deals, Atmane has been paying out of pocket for his attire. During his run in Cincinnati, he's rocked up to matches in different shirts by different brands.

"Apart from Tecnifibre for the rackets, I don't have any sponsors since I got dropped by Asics. I buy my clothes and shoes like everyone else. I don't have an agent; I do my thing on my own in my corner," the world No. 136 told L'Equipe.

He's not let that get in the way of his tennis, and is through to the semis to face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner after beating the likes of Flavio Cobolli, Joao Fonseca, Fritz and Rune.

Even if he loses in Saturday's semi-final, Atmane has secured himself a huge prize cheque and will shoot up the rankings, allowing him to enter bigger tournaments. And he's excited to use his Cincinnati Open run as a springboard to sustain his career.

He added: "Being top 100 means fewer qualifiers. It also validates a certain financial stability that will allow me to invest in my coaches. I'll also be able to save some money, because when you play in Challengers, you lose a lot of money.

"I'll need to be smart and keep working, show what I'm capable of on the main Tour and not just in Challengers. Now, I have to keep climbing, and it will be a great challenge. I'm not setting any limits for myself."

Atmane was brutally dropped by one of his main sponsors, Asics, after he walked onto the court holding a pair of Nike shoes during last year's Shanghai Masters.

After suffering a 7-6 7-6 defeat to Fritz, the French star took to Instagram to take aim at his former clothing sponsor after their partnership came to a sudden end.

"Thank you for everything Asics Tennis. It was a pleasure for me to represent the family even if you guys fired me. I can't complain about that decision," he wrote.

"Hope you saw and enjoyed how much I improved mentally after this week cause this is just the beginning of a new me. Thanks to the wonderful people with who I had the chance to work with, you guys will always have a special place inside of my heart. Love you all, peace, Terence."

Atmane has moved on to bigger and better things, enjoying a statement week in Cincinnati, and even his rivals are happy for him. After losing to the qualifier in the quarter-finals, No. 7 seed Holger Rune took to social media to share a heartfelt message to his conqueror.

"I have known you Terence since juniors, tennis is a tough journey and I am happy for your run here at @CincyTennis and what it will mean in the future for you . Good luck onwards," he tweeted.

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