French qualifier hands Sinner birthday present before Cincinnati semi-final

Terence Atmane presents Jannik Sinner with a birthday gift. (Cincinnati Open/X)

Terence Atmane continues to win the hearts of tennis fans following an act of kindness before his Cincinnati semi-final against Jannik Sinner.

Sinner, who turns 24 today, was gifted a birthday present in the form of a Pokémon card.

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The viral moment was captured on camera as the pair stood in the tunnel, awaiting their names to be called by the stadium announcer.

"I have a little something for you. Your first Pokémon card," Atmane said to the world No.1.

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According to Tennis TV's broadcast during the match, Atmane is an avid Pokémon fan, with his collection estimated to be worth around $10,000, holding one of the biggest collections in France.

Despite taking it up to Sinner in a first set tiebreak, Atmane couldn't break through in a 6-7(4), 2-6 defeat.

It ends a remarkable tournament for Atmane, who entered the main draw as a qualifier and defeated the likes of Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.

The 23-year-old has moved 67 places in the live rankings to a career-high world No.69.

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