Henman breezes through

By Caroline Cheese
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

The action as it happened John McEnroe on Henman

Tim Henman finally found his form as he powered past Ivo Heuberger 7-5 6-3 6-2 to reach the third round at Wimbledon.

The Centre Court crowd were preparing for another Henman rollercoaster ride when the Briton made a tentative start.

With the fifth seed struggling to find any consistency, Heuberger served for the first set at 5-4 but Henman dug deep to recover and took it 7-5.

The fifth seed then clicked into top gear, breaking once in the second set and twice in the third to seal victory.

Henman attributed his turnaround in form from a break down in the first set to his decision to use the crowd to his advantage.

"Over the last six or seven months I've been really calm on court and it's brought about some of the best results of my career," he explained.

When I was down 5-3 I thought this is not the way it used to feel at Wimbledon Tim Henman

"But in the first round here and against Heuberger, I realised I was not the using the intimidation factor from the crowd.

"If I'm just walking around and not showing any emotion, that sets the tone.

"When I was down 5-3 I thought this is not the way it used to feel at Wimbledon and I needed to be more animated and show more emotion."

Henman had promised to improve his form after edging past little-known Spaniard Ramon Ramirez on Tuesday, but there was little evidence of him fulfilling that pledge in a patchy first set.

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He was greeted for his first match on Centre Court this year by a barely half-full crowd, and he responded with a lethargic opening.

A double fault in the first game of the match gifted his Swiss opponent an immediate break of serve and though the Briton recovered it at 1-3, Heuberger hit back immediately.

However, the 28-year-old, who had looked completely at home on his Centre Court debut, was suddenly struck by nerves when he served for a one-set lead at 5-4.

He attempted an ill-advised drop volley on break point to let Henman off the hook and the British number one needed no second invitation.

Day five Wimbledon photos

He took the set when Heuberger's forehand clipped the net and dropped out and having escaped from a desperate situation, Henman finally seemed to free himself of the tension.

A supreme topspin lob gave him an early break and prompted Henman to respond to the crowd for the first time with a trademark clenched fist.

The world number six went on to lose only four points on serve as he wrapped up the second set in superb style.

Heuberger battled bravely in the third set, but with Henman in fine form at the net and from the baseline, he was eventually outclassed.

A dreadful drop shot attempt proved Heuberger's undoing once more when he lost serve at 2-2.

After wasting three opportunities to break back immediately, Heuberger seemed to give up hope, allowing Henman to close out the match with ease.