Henman to meet Federer in semi-final
Tim Henman reached the semi-final of the US Open tonight – and was again made to work for his victory at Flushing Meadows.
The 30-year-old lost the third set of his quarter-final against Dominik Hrbaty within minutes of the restart but fought back to secure the victory in the fourth.
The number five seed now faces Roger Federer on Saturday in his second Grand Slam semi-final this year.
The British number one’s path to the last four of the competition has been drawn out over five games and more than 22 sets, so it was not surprising that this victory was not straightforward.
With a wind affecting his serve, Henman struggled with his toss and was lucky to survive a tense first game on the second day of the clash.
His 26-year-old opponent had another chance to wrap up the set at 6-5 and made no mistake with his second attempt.
But the Slovakian was beaten in a fourth set that will give the Briton confidence.
Henman broke Hrbaty’s serve in the first game of the set – and then found his rhythm. He was two breaks up at 3-1 and served out the set.
A huge second serve also contributed to the 6-1 7-5 5-7 6-2 win.
Henman told Sky Sports: “I’m really pleased. I played well yesterday and but came out today hitting the ball hard and not making many unforced errors.
“In these types of conditions it suits my game very well. I decided to come in on everything and see whether he could pass me and that’s tough to do.
“It was disappointing to lose the third set but I’m still up 2-1 and in these conditions I got off to a good start in the fourth and stamped my authority and tried to keep the points as short as possible.
“Last night under the lights was very humid and heavy so you can swing away at the back of the court but I needed to finish points off quickly. Both parts of the game were really satisfying.”
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