Hewitt sweeps Henman aside

Hewitt plays smart tennis to edge Henman at Queen's

Lleyton Hewitt (Aus, 3) beat Tim Henman (GB, 4) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3)

Lleyton Hewitt is champion at Queen's Club again after a straight sets win over Tim Henman.

The Australian secured consecutive tie-breaks in a thrilling contest to retain the Stella Artois Championship.

It was the second match of the day for both players, Henman having edged Wayne Ferreira, while Hewitt saw off Pete Sampras in two morning semi-finals.

Henman played some nice shots in a losing effort

And - already well warmed up - the standard of tennis from both was high from the outset.

Exchanging solid service games, the first set went to a tie-break, in which Hewitt took charge, benefiting from a succession of errors from his opponent.

A double fault gave the Australian four set points and he converted the second of these to take the set 7-6.

Hewitt carried his tie-break form into the second set and had several chances to break serve, but Henman raised his game on each occasion to keep in touch at 4-4.

Then, with signs of frustration creeping into the Australian's game, Henman pounced, converting the second of two break points in the ninth game to edge ahead.

Hewitt found an immediate answer, striking the ball cleanly from both flanks to break back and both men served out for a second tie-break.

When I look at how I'm playing and see the way I'm hitting the ball, it gives me a lot of positive vibes for Wimbledon

  Tim Henman

Again, Henman found himself in early difficulty, narrowly missing his shots to fall behind 5-2.

And Hewitt, who proved himself to be a tough competitor once again, kept his composure to take the title.

Afterwards, both men were looking forward to Wimbledon.

"I couldn't come up with the goods, but all credit to Lleyton. He's tough to play against," said Henman.

"People doubted whether he could play on grass, but his results show he's a tough competitor on any surface."

The British number one said he would now take a few days off before the All England Championships.

I've got nothing to lose at Wimbledon this year - they said I was the champion last year and I got knocked out in the first round

  Lleyton Hewitt

"I'd love to have won today, but when I look at how I'm playing and see the way I'm hitting the ball, it gives me a lot of positive vibes for Wimbledon," he said.

Hewitt, meanwhile, was proud of his achievements on grass.

"I was disappointed not to play yesterday, but to defend the title in this way and beat two of the best grass court players in the world is great.

"I've got nothing to lose at Wimbledon this year - they said I was the champion last year and I got knocked out in the first round."