One more victory will see Henman record his best-ever display in Paris and there are signs he has come to terms with the red clay he has always detested.

It helped when he got off to a flying start against Schalken, reeling off the first three games of the match in double-quick time.

And while the Dutchman broke Henman's service in the fifth game the Briton maintained his composure and increased his aggression.

He mixed up his tactics, at times staying back, at others floating sliced backhands and then chipping and charging to take control of the net.

It bemused Schalken who struggled to stay with the concerted pace of Henman's game.

In the second set both men swapped early service breaks, but it was again Henman who seized the initiative, the crucial break coming in the sixth game with the Briton's rasping backhands forcing the errors.

By the third set, Schalken was diffident and dispirited and Henman again grabbed an early break on the Dutchman's serve and the match was effectively over.

Henman now plays the winner of the match between Spain's Alberto Martin and Argentina's Guillermo Canas.

Meanwhile, the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, today pulled out of the women's doubles to allow Serena to concentrate on her singles.

"I have not played a lot of singles matches since the Ericsson Open and I am looking forward to a successful French Open," said Serena. "I want to focus all my energy towards doing the best I can in the singles."