Terence Atmane stunned the tennis scene this week, beating a host of higher-ranked opponents on his way to the semi-final stage.
Although the Frenchman lost in the semi-finals to Jannik Sinner, the 23-year-old did himself proud, defeating Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli, Joao Fonseca and Holger Rune on his way to the last four.
As a result, the Cincinnati Open qualifier has risen 67 places to world number 69, overtaking a former Grand Slam finalist in the process.
However, as in Cincinnati, Atmane will have to navigate the qualifying rounds at the upcoming US Open.
In the first round of US Open qualifying, the Frenchman will face a former British number one.
Terence Atmane will play Jan Choinski in the first round of US Open qualifying
Terence Atmane has been paired against an interesting opponent in the first round of US Open qualifying: Jan Choinski.
Although not a household name on the ATP Tour, Choinski has put together an extremely respectable career.
The 29-year-old, who has been seen practicing with Jack Draper at the US Open, has won five ATP Challenger events in his career, including two this year: the Troyes Challenger in France and the Bunschoten Challenger in the Netherlands.
The Briton has also claimed one Grand Slam victory during his career, beating Dusan Lajovic as a wildcard at 2023 Wimbledon.
Choinski, who achieved a career-high of world number 126 in 2023, will be one to watch in US Open qualifying, especially when considering his performance at the tournament in 2024.
Choinski, the world number 150, proved his worth at the 2024 US Open, winning three straight matches to qualify for the first time, before losing to Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round of the main draw.
Jan Choinski’s route to the US Open main draw
Navigating the qualifying draw for a Grand Slam event is never easy for any player.
If Choinski can defeat 25th seed Terence Atmane, he will face either Argentina’s Santiago Rodriguez Taverna, or America’s Mitchell Krueger.
If he can win his first two rounds, the Brit will face either second seed Jesper de Jong or France’s Harold Mayot in the final round of qualifying, after both players won their opening qualifying round on Monday.
US Open qualifying begins on Monday. However, Choinski is scheduled to contest his first-round match on Tuesday.
