A third quarter-final after a torrid autumn
Atmane, ranked 98th, is in his third career ATP Tour quarterfinal. The first came at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters 1000, where he defeated Taylor Fritz and Holger Rooney as a qualifier en route to the semifinals. The second came this season in Acapulco. He is only the third Frenchman to reach the last eight at this tournament, after Adrian Mannarino and Corentin Moutet.
The run follows a tough few weeks. Atmane reached a career-high No. 41 in April, but has slipped to the edge of the top 100. In the space of a week in late September and early October, he withdrew from the Jingshan Challenger and Shanghai qualifiers, where he also threw his racket into the stands. He opened his week in Almaty with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Rinki Hijikata, then publicly apologized for his behavior.
“I’ve gotten a lot of hate, which is pretty normal because I deserve it.” Atmane said Tuesday. “I’ve been struggling mentally the last few weeks. The season was too long for me. Shanghai showed me that this kind of behavior has nothing to do on the tennis court at the highest level. I want to deeply apologize to everyone because this is not the kind of behavior I want to show people.”
Bellucci’s streak ends
Bellucci, who is ranked 68th, defeated No. 6 Thomas Martin Etchvery 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4 in the previous round. He arrived in Almaty 13-2 at all levels, including the Jinan Challenger title last week, and was chasing a personal-best 13th round-level win of the season.
Atmane will face top seed Daniil Medvedev or Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro in the quarterfinals of the Almaty Open. Atmane and Medvedev have met once, in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open, Atmane’s Grand Slam debut as a qualifier. He took the first set before finishing in the fourth, and Medvedev came from behind to win 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0.