Henman toppled by Kuerten

Henman lost his momentum after the rain break

G Kuerten (Bra, 1) beat T Henman (GB, 7) 6-2 1-6 7-6 (7-4)

Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten booked a place in the Masters Series final in Cincinnati with a three-set victory over Tim Henman.

The Brazilian was taken to a tie-break in the final set but always held the initiative once Henman lost his first service point and duly came through.

He then had just a few minutes minutes to rest before going on court again to face Australian Pat Rafter, who beat compatriot Lleyton Hewitt 6-4 6-3 in the other semi-final on Saturday.

I certainly don't feel the rain delay affected the outcome

  Tim Henman

Meanwhile, Henman will surely be cursing the weather, despite his gracious post-match comments to the contrary.

The British number one suffered the same fate at Wimbledon where he lost a rain-affected semi-final.

"The nature of the match is that it's going to boil down to probably a deciding set," he said.

"That's why I certainly don't feel the rain delay affected the outcome.

"It's certainly not what either of us wants but I think we both dealt with it pretty well.

Kuerten avenged last year's defeat

"When it comes down to a third set tie-breaker it's obviously a pretty close run thing. Last year it went my way, this year it didn't."

At 5-1 up in the second set the number seven seed seemed in total control before play was suspended on Saturday.

On the resumption Henman served out to level the match but was unable to rediscover the form he had shown the previous evening.

Kuerten made a seemingly vital breakthrough when he broke Henman in the sixth game of the decider, but uncharacteristically dropped his serve in the very next game.

Both players found more rhythm with their serve as the set progressed and a tie-break became inevitable.

At the same stage in Cincinnati last year it was Henman who prevailed in the third set tie-break, but this year Kuerten turned the tables on his opponent.

There are a lot of positives to take out of this in the lead-up to the US Open

  Tim Henman

Despite the setback, Henman remained upbeat about his overall form and US Open chances.

"You look at the stats of the match, I don't think I can have too many complaints about my performance," he said.

"My first serve percentage was very high and I had the right tactical approach.

"I feel the way I've played for the last few months, whether it be Queens, Wimbledon or here, my consistency level is a lot greater and that is a good sign.

"There are a lot of positives to take out of this in the lead-up to the US Open.

"If I keep working at my game, keep putting myself in these situations, then I can win."