(Reuters) -Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world number one a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

Jannik Sinner celebrated his 24th birthday on the semi-final day in Cincinnati. The Italian faced Terence Atmane in the last four and earned a 7-6, 6-2 victory in an hour and 26 minutes for a place in the title clash.

Unless you’re a tennis die-hard, you probably didn’t know much about Terence Atmane before this week. The 23-year-old Frenchman is ranked as the World No. 136 and has played just 14 matches on the ATP Tour in the last calendar year.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is back in action in defense of his Cincinnati Open men’s singles title, battling Terence Atmane in Saturday’s semifinal round.

Jannik Sinner was subjected to an unusual chant from the Cincinnati Open crowd before his match against Terence Atmane. The young Italian was pitted against his French rival in the semi-finals, having won all of his previous matches without dropping a set.

Sinner did not want to compare himself with the Big 4, admitting they are on a different level. Instead, he is writing his own story while chasing more records and tennis immortality. There is a direct correlation between Jannik Sinner’s success and a small little lion in his bag 🦁 pic.twitter.com/KjX6Y5OyUe

Unseeded Terence Atmane has stormed the semi-finals in Cincinnati, toppling some of the leading names on the ATP circuit.