Sixth seed Tim Henman beat ninth seed Nicolas Massu to reach the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. The British number one came through 3-6 6-4 6-3 in a scrappy match in which neither player could establish any rhythm or consistency.
The first five games went against serve before the Chilean took the first set when breaking Henman for a fourth time.
But Henman took the second set and two breaks in the decider were enough to clinch a hard-fought victory.
Henman's serve was not at its best in the match and Massu did not allow the Briton to get into any rhythm, mixing up his shots and taking his time between points.
The 29-year-old Briton will now play German fourth seed Rainer Schuettler, who beat Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
Henman admitted afterwards that the match with Massu had been a real battle.
"I was struggling to find my rhythm in the first set," he said. "He was hitting great returns and making life difficult.
"But I thought 'I just have to relax' and I knew if I found my serve, I still had a real chance."
MMIX
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