Mister Tabur

The Frenchman isn’t the most talented, but he has a big heart and fights with the tools he has.

I haven't seen Tabur play often, but every time I do, I find him courageous and hardworking. He's not tall or powerful, and he does the best he can against a tennis style that's evolving, much like Blockx, who's far more up-to-date. Tabur came through qualifying, having beaten Kjaer and Sachko—not huge names, but I've seen worse runs this week to get through qualifying! He then crushed Kovacevic, a great performance that will give him confidence, and perhaps he's taking a step forward (for his level). He had a good tournament in Brest before that, quite a few wins for a player of his ranking, so I think he should be considered dangerous, especially this week; his average level is higher than usual. He faces Blockx, who is also on a winning streak after his title on Sunday. After a short warm-up set in these new conditions, he adapted well and turned the tide, particularly solid on his serve, but Passaro is a sieve (no comment). Tabur's return game is a bit better; he's solid from the baseline, and I feel he's comfortable with his game. Blockx, on the other hand, is more textbook in his play, which is a real plus. Even if he's tired, off his game, or not in it, he has a game plan to rely on. With his current form and his game being better than Tabur's, he can capitalize on that and win cleanly tomorrow, or get caught in a trap match.