Henman out of Masters Cup

Tim Henman bowed out of the Masters Cup in Houston after a straight sets defeat to in-form Russian Marat Safin.

The British number one, battling for the right to face world number one Roger Federer in the semi-finals, lost 6-2 7-6 (7/2) in front of a sell-out crowd at the Westside club.

It means the top four players in the world – Federer, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Safin – will contest the semi-finals.

Henman struggled to make an impact as Safin, who clinched back-to-back ATP Masters Series titles in Madrid and Paris, won the first set of their eliminator in style.

Henman dropped his serve in the first game, Safin sealing the break with a crosscourt forehand after a series of deuces.

Safin, 24, forced another break point in the third game, but mistimed a forehand from the baseline and the chance was gone.

The decisive second break did come in the seventh game, however, when a Henman double fault gifted the 6ft 5in Russian a 5-2 lead.

Henman earned his first break points in the eighth game, but failed to convert either of them.

The British number one’s forehand – targeted by Safin – had consistently failed him and so it was somehow appropriate that a wayward forehand eventually cost him the set.

Henman made a fight of it in the second set by reducing his unforced errors.

He made 14 unforced errors in the eight games of the first set, but only seven as the second set was decided by a tiebreak.

Henman powered through his three service games before the tiebreak without dropping a point, and looked to be growing in confidence.

He twice forced deuce on Safin’s serve, in the eighth and 12th games, but the Russian lifted his game time and again to play his way out of trouble.

The first mini-break of the tiebreak went Safin’s way when Henman, distracted by a net cord, pushed a forehand long.

It gave Safin a 3-1 lead he quickly extended to 6-2 for four match points. He cashed in the first one, when Henman netted a forehand under pressure.