Tim Henman eased into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday after German Rainer Schuttler retired with a stomach muscle injury.

The British no 11 seed was leading 6-2, 4-1 when his opponent withdrew after an hour's play.

Henman said: "It's unfortunate for him and it's not the ideal way to win, but I'm not going to complain. I'm through to the third round and that's what matters.

"When his first serve came at me at 128kph I was not quite sure whether it was a new plan he had for me or something was not quite right."

Schuttler, ranked 48th in the world, had beaten the British number one twice in their three previous meetings, but was clearly in trouble from the start.

He lost his serve in the third and seventh games of the opening set, which Henman won in just 26 minutes.

The German did manage to hold his first service game in the second set.

But there was no power in his game and once Henman broke again in the third and fifth games Schuttler decided to retire.

The short match gives Henman the chance for further rest after his three-and-a-half-hour first round win over Frenchman Jerome Golmard.

"After my first match I was a little bit sore and I still feel a little bit stiff," he admitted.

"But I'm sure that, come Friday, I will be 100% fresh."

Sampras on course

Henman's next opponent is Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean, whom he beat on the way to the Wimbledon semi-finals last summer.

Third seed Pete Sampras, who beat Henman at Wimbledon, is on course for a quarter-final showdown with the Briton in Melbourne.

Like top seed Andre Agassi, Sampras enjoyed a second successive straight-sets win on Wednesday.

But eighth seed Todd Martin and ninth seed Richard Krajicek have joined the five top men who lost in the first round.

Pullin out

Henman was left to battle on alone for British tennis after less than three days in Melbourne.

Julie Pullin was agonisingly close to the women's third round, but lost out to China's Yi Jian-qian 6-3, 2-6, 9-7.

Pullin held a match point in the final set, but faded towards the end of the match.

The defeat robbed the 24-year-old qualifier of a chance to make a name for herself - and British women's tennis.

Waiting in the third round was former Olympic champion Jennifer Capriati, who beat 14th seed Dominique Van Roost.

Pullin, the world no 174 compared with Yi's ranking of 137, had won the pair's only previous match in 1997.

The Briton lost the first set 6-3 but took the second 6-2 and then broke Yi for 4-2 in the decider.

Pullin then lost her next two serves and had to break back at 4-5 to stay alive.

Yi looked on her last legs as she handed Pullin match point at 5-6, but the Briton could not win it and was broken again at 7-7.

Pullin then hit an easy smash wide, and Yi wrapped up the match.

Seeds crash

The former British champion was in good company as two of the top seven seeds in the women's tournament crashed out.

France's Amelie Mauresmo, the seventh seed, and fifth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat are both out.

But Lindsay Davenport, Anna Kournikova and Mary Pierce all made it into the third round.