Henman crashes out to Novak

Tim Henman was defeated in the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors in Basle last night by the Czech, Jiri Novak.

The British No 1 must now pick up ranking points at the Paris Masters to ensure qualification for the Masters Cup in Houston, Texas, where the top eight players in the world play.

Neither player seemed able to find their rhythm in the first set, dropping two service games each ahead of the tie-break which Novak won 7-5. Novak, who beat Henman at the Olympic Games in Athens, won the second set 7-5 after breaking Henman at 6-5.

Greg Rusedski won a battle of big servers to defeat Ivo Karlovic and seal his place in the semi-finals of the St Petersburg Open. The British No 2 won a tight encounter 6-4, 7-6 and will face Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.

The Briton claimed the first set with a solitary break while the second went to a tie-break before Rusedski prevailed. Youzhny will present a stiff challenge for Rusedski, however, after crushing Julien Benneteau, of France, 6-0, 6-1.

Andre Agassi marched into the Stockholm Open semi-finals beating the Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, 7-6, 6-2, in his toughest match of the tournament.

In the semi-finals Agassi faces the German fourth seed, Tommy Haas, who defeated the Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-3, 7-6.