Henman takes five sets to reach second round

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) Britain's Tim Henman, four times a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, defeated Sweden's Robin Soderling to reach the second round on Tuesday but he faced a tough battle before triumphing 6-7 6-3 6-2 1-6 6-3.

Henman now faces triple Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in the next round. But at least he is leading 6-4 in their matches, having most famously knocked out Federer of Wimbledon in 2001 after the young Swiss player had eliminated Pete Sampras.

Henman, who has not won a tournament since the Paris Masters in 2003, lost the first set tiebreak against Soderling with an apparent ace, electronically called out, followed by a double fault.

Henman, playing in his 13th Wimbledon, steadied to win the next two sets before Soderling easily levelled the match. But the former British number one was dominant in the final set, much to the relief of his devoted home crowd.

REUTERS DH RAI2109