Henman takes the wrong path

Tim Henman faces a tough route to the final

Tim Henman might once have been thankful he was not in defending champion Pete Sampras's half of the Wimbledon draw.

But after five days of shock exits, the British number one now finds himself facing easily the toughest path to glory.

While the top half of the draw has been thrown wide open - Sampras is the only real big name and he is struggling with injury - Henman's half still contains plenty of obstacles.

I will go into the Arazi match as favourite but that means nothing

Tim Henman

First the British number one must get past the mercurial Moroccan Hicham Arazi in the third round on Saturday, a player many feel is one of the most naturally gifted in the game.

If he wins, Henman, the number eight seed, is likely to face big serving Australian Mark Philippoussis in the next round.

And if that is not enough to dampen any hopes of the first home winner of the men's singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, the 25-year-old is then on course to face second seed and world number one Andre Agassi in the quarter-finals.

Wimbledon braces itself for another bout of Henmania

Arazi is currently ranked only 38th in the world and although Henman has beaten him on clay this year in Hamburg, he is sure to provide a dangerous opponent on grass.

The 26-year-old Moroccan has had a relatively easy path to the third round, defeating Italian qualifier Igor Gaudi in the first round and Canadian Sebastien Lareau in the second.

Henman knows he will be the favourite, but the expectation is not yet weighing heavy.

"There are so many upsets in the men's matches that they don't go according to form or reputation and you just never know what to expect," Henman said.

"I will go into the Arazi match as favourite but that means nothing."