Defending champion Tim Henman crashed out of the Paris Masters to in-form Russian Mikhail Youzhny on Thursday. The Briton started confidently and there was little to separate the pair until the 11th game, when Youzhny upped his game for the first break.
World number 20 Youzhny, who won the St Petersburg title last week, served out the set and then broke four times in the second on his way to a 7-5 6-1 win.
Youzhny faces Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek in the last eight.
Henman will now turn his attentions to the Masters Cup in Houston, which begins on 15 November.
The 30-year-old has qualified for the end-of-season event for the first time since 1998 but he admitted he had work to do following his defeat to Youzhny. "He (Youzhny) was on to my serve, was very aggressive and played shots at a high level," said Henman.
"I wasn't sharp and my movement was sluggish. I couldn't dictate the rallies as I would have liked.
"There is nothing wrong with the way I am hitting the ball. But I was sluggish and I need to get my sharpness back for the Masters Cup."
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
