Post by Taxigirl on Feb 22, 2004 11:37:32 GMT
Lleyton Hewitt once again proved to be Tim Henman's nemesis as the Australian beat the British number one 6-3 6-3 to reach the final in Rotterdam.
Henman never reproduced the form which saw him beat world number one Roger Federer in the quarter-final.
Hewitt broke Henman in the third game of the first set and came back strongly when the British player held a 2-0 lead in the second.
Henman, seeded fifth, has never beaten Hewitt in any of their seven meetings.
"I have no idea why I have such a good record against him," said Hewitt.
"We've had some close battles in the past, at Queen's and Wimbledon.
"I don't know if my game matches up well to his, but I've played well every time I've played him.
"I passed pretty well today and didn't give him lot of easy volleys. I had him guessing a bit out there."
Henman, who had not played Hewitt since the 2002 Wimbledon semi-final, looked nervous from the outset and found it hard to get into a rhythm.
"It's a struggle for me to know where to serve to him," said Henman. "He hits winners from everywhere."