Post by Taxigirl on Jan 22, 2004 10:02:14 GMT
Tim Henman produced a fine performance to beat Radek Stepanek in the second round of the Australian Open.
Henman always looked in control, although he did lose the second set, in a 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-0 win.
He displayed the full repertoire of shots and will have been particularly encouraged by his excellent serving.
Stepanek had his moments and hit a number of flashy winners, but he did not have the consistency to challenge the British number one.
"I got off to a really good start," commented Henman.
"I felt like in the first set and a half I was dictating a lot of the play and to a certain extent, dominating the match.
"At the end of the second set he started to play much better. He served better and took the initiative away from me a little bit.
"We had a tight game at 5-4 in the second set but it didn't go my way.
"That said, I still felt very confident and comfortable about the way I was playing.
"To then go and win the third and fourth sets three and love, it was very good for my confidence."
Henman also admited that fortune was on his side in the match with a number of line calls going in his favour.
"There were three in a row that went my way - I thought it was pretty humorous, but I don't think he did," he said.
Henman will now play Argentine Guillermo Canas in the next round.
Canas has a 3-1 lead over Henman in head-to-head matches, having beaten him previously at the French Open and the US Open.
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/australian_open_2004/3418759.stm