This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/tennis/5411998.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Resurgent Henman into Japan semis | Resurgent Henman into Japan semis |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Tim Henman shrugged off fatigue to defeat both Juan Martin del Potro and Mario Ancic on the same day to reach the Japan Open semi-finals. | Tim Henman shrugged off fatigue to defeat both Juan Martin del Potro and Mario Ancic on the same day to reach the Japan Open semi-finals. |
| Rain had postponed his match against Del Porto but the Briton dug in, battling back from 1-4 in the opener to claim a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win. | Rain had postponed his match against Del Porto but the Briton dug in, battling back from 1-4 in the opener to claim a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win. |
| After nearly a 12-hour wait, Henman secured early breaks in each set to wrap up a 6-2 6-2 win over Ancic. | After nearly a 12-hour wait, Henman secured early breaks in each set to wrap up a 6-2 6-2 win over Ancic. |
| The Briton now meets Korean Hyung-Taik Lee for a place in the final. | The Briton now meets Korean Hyung-Taik Lee for a place in the final. |
| I can play aggressively in these conditions and that's when I'm playing my best tennis Tim Henman | |
| "It's an unusual situation," said Henman. "I haven't played two matches in one day for a long time. | |
| "But I thought I played very, very well this morning and I played even better in the evening. | |
| "I felt very good. I think the condition of the court and the balls are really perfect for me. | |
| "I feel like I can play aggressively and get forward to the net a lot and that's when I'm playing my best tennis." | |
| Henman is attempting to reach his first ATP tour final since reaching the Indian Wells final in March 2004. | Henman is attempting to reach his first ATP tour final since reaching the Indian Wells final in March 2004. |
| Argentine teenager Del Porto was on course to derail Henman's challenge as he raced to a 4-1 lead when their match finally got under way at 0900 Tokyo time. | Argentine teenager Del Porto was on course to derail Henman's challenge as he raced to a 4-1 lead when their match finally got under way at 0900 Tokyo time. |
| However, Henman recovered and claimed the tie-break before breaking immediately in the second set to wrap up the match. | However, Henman recovered and claimed the tie-break before breaking immediately in the second set to wrap up the match. |
| Ancic, who knocked Henman out of the 2004 Wimbledon quarter-finals, looked like a tricky prospect for the 32-year-old Briton. | Ancic, who knocked Henman out of the 2004 Wimbledon quarter-finals, looked like a tricky prospect for the 32-year-old Briton. |
| But a tough 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory against Rainer Schuttler earlier in the day had taken its toll on the big-serving Ancic. | |
| An in-form Henman easily moved past him and into a semi-final tie against Lee, who knocked out Spanish second seed Tommy Robredo. | |
| Roger Federer and unseeded German Benjamin Becker face each other in the second semi-final on Saturday. | Roger Federer and unseeded German Benjamin Becker face each other in the second semi-final on Saturday. |
| Andy Murray and his brother Jamie will kick-off the weekend's action after their doubles semi-final against Americans Paul Goldstein and Jim Thomas was postponed. | Andy Murray and his brother Jamie will kick-off the weekend's action after their doubles semi-final against Americans Paul Goldstein and Jim Thomas was postponed. |