Henman makes winning return

Tim Henman made a winning return to action today with victory over Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti at the BMW Open in Munich.

The British number one triumphed 7-5 4-6 6-1 on his least favourite clay surface to claim only his second victory of an injury-hit season.

The match was only Henman’s fifth since undergoing shoulder surgery last year.

A previous comeback attempt was put on hold when an unrelated problem affecting the same shoulder began to trouble him during the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami last month.

It forced him to pull out of the Masters Series event in Monte Carlo earlier this month but he felt fit enough to accept a wildcard to compete in Germany, where he has been seeded seventh.

Henman was pushed hard in both the opening sets but began to find his touch in the third, claiming two early breaks to race into a 4-0 lead and wrap up victory soon after.