Henman's hopes in US Open end early

British number one Tim Henman’s nightmare season continued today as he crashed out of the US Open in the first round to unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

Henman, who came into the match struggling for fitness, never got into his stride on the Louis Armstrong Court and eventually went down in straight sets 6-4 6-2 6-2.

The 30-year-old had failed to make it past the third round of any of this year’s Grand Slam events prior to his arrival in New York, and has still won just one match since his dismal second-round exit at Wimbledon in June.