Tim Henman showed flashes of his best form as he eased past Swedish qualifier Robin Soderling in straight sets at Wimbledon. The British number one brushed aside his qualifier opponent 6-3 6-1 6-4 to book his place in the last 16 for the eighth consecutive year.
And he will next play last year's finalist David Nalbandian, who beat Karol Kucera in five sets.
Henman found his rhythm quickly, committing to his trademark serve-and-volley game and seizing every opportunity to attack the serve of teenager Soderling.
And his aggressive tactics soon paid dividends when he broke the Swede in his second service game.
That established a pattern for the match, with Henman holding comfortably, while exerting great pressure on an opponent who struggled to deal with his low, fizzing returns.
Most encouraging of all for the Briton was the fluency of his service action, which showed no signs of the shoulder injury that has been plaguing him this year.
 I will come in and practice on Sunday but it is important I conserve my energy for next week |
But Henman will realise that tougher challenges lie ahead at Wimbledon 2003.
And he received a warning shot while serving for the match, when he was broken to love.
Soderling, by this stage, was showing signs of frustration.
The Swede picked up a warning for an audible obscenity and surrendered the match two games later.
After the game, a delighted Henman admitted he is feeling confident going into the second week.
"I knew I had to improve my form after the first round," said the Briton.
"I thought I played well in the second round but I stepped up my game against Robin and now I feel ready for the second week.
"I think the best bit about this performance was probably my first serve percentage.
"I was slightly concerned with my serving at Queens but it has really come on in my last two games."
MMIX
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