Henman shows resolve in escape from Escude

Tim Henman recovered from a seemingly hopeless position to beat Nicolas Escude and reach the quarter-finals at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors tournament here last night. The British No 1's status as a new father may just have provided him with an added incentive to end his season in style. And he is playing with the sort of look about him that suggests he has an added incentive to retain his title.

Henman trailed the French Davis Cup player by a set and 3-2 with a break against him, but then responded with real character to finish a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner. Aside from the chance of winning a tournament in his first week of fatherhood, after his wife, Lucy, gave birth on Sunday, Henman also has the opportunity to strengthen his claims for a place in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Henman came into this week standing seventh in the Champions Race, occupying the final qualifying place for the Masters Cup where a victory would take his season's earnings hurtling towards the $2m mark.

Henman, the top seed and defending champion, dropped serve in the second and sixth games of the opening set, unable to cope with the fine returning from Escude, who has won 17 of his 21 matches indoors this season, but began the second set with greater purpose.

Escude looked to have made a decisive move in the second set when he went a break ahead after the fifth game, but Henman hit back immediately to draw level at 3-3. Henman held to lead 4-3 and then extended his winning run to three games by finding an extra gear. A cracking forehand driven down the line gave him 5-3 and he was then lucky in the next game when he hit an ace with his second serve. The ball looked to land out of court, but was given in and instead of 15-40 it was 30-30. A simple winner at the net on set point put the players level in the match and gave Henman a fourth successive game.

The third set was all Henman after he broke in the fifth game, and a further break all but wrapped up an impressive comeback. Escude went on to put a backhand lob out on match point.

Henman now faces one of two Argentinians, either Agustin Calleri or the Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian, who were due to play late last night.

* The Slovakian Karol Kucera caused a shock in the second round of the St Petersburg Open yesterday when he defeated Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-4, making it more difficult for the American to finish the season as world No 1.