What a match already!

Well, we all know it, Valentin Vacherot will have to defend 1000 points at the next tournament. The worst part? He’s not in great form. Since coming back from injury, he’s been struggling a bit. There’s a physical issue that, in my opinion, largely explains what he’s currently lacking in his tennis.

On Blockx’s side, his body seems to have recovered from his US Open run. However, even if he hasn’t been off for that long, I’m a bit more worried about him when he loses a bit of rhythm, because after his return from Roland Garros following his injury, it took him some time to get back to his peak. Against a Vacherot who will have extra motivation, I think that could make a difference.

In terms of the match‑up, we’ll of course have two good servers, but also two solid baseliners with great court coverage. Both are capable of coming to the net comfortably. We’re simply dealing with quality players. Val was really bothered by Lloyd Harris’s serving quality in their last match, and by his +1. I think he’ll have a bit more time here. With a Blockx who’s finding his form again, I’d find it hard to see this version of Valentin coming out on top. The Belgian will be competitive, I’m sure of that, but here we’re talking about a few key moments that need to be managed better...