Henman's engine still ticking over

In his final Grand Slam, the outgoing British No 2 pulled off a considerable shock by overcoming Russia's Dmitri Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours, 44 minutes to make the second-round and delay his departure from tournament tennis.

Less than a week shy of his 33rd birthday, Henman managed to force enough from his aching body and unreliable back to post at least one more victory in a major.

Such was the enjoyment gleaned from a throwback performance, similar to the one he produced in Wimbledon's first round two months ago, that he left a hugelysupportive Louis Armstrong Stadium thinking it is indeed a wonderful world.

With parents Tony and Jane watching in the expectation that this indeed might be his last Grand Slam match, Henman played with a happy abandon and no little skill.

Tursunov, who had beaten him in five of their six meetings, was all inconsistency and the former British No 1 showed that his game is still plenty good enough to take advantage.

As a broiling New York afternoon turned into early evening, Henman managed to keep his nerve to set up a second round tussle with France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a similarly aggressive opponent.

So this was not where it was destined to end as far as the tour is concerned, the 768th match of a professional career stretching back to 1993 when a spindly 18-year-old took his first steps in the obscure world of the satellite events.

Henman can claim to have won more matches than he has lost on all of the game's different surfaces, and this was one of the most satisfying against a player who has troubled him more than most.

It was Tursunov who beat him in the second round at Wimbledon in 2005, snapping a remarkable streak of having made at least the last 16 at the All England Club for nine straight years.

It will be at Wimbledon where he will, by far, be the most remembered, having made his debut there in 1994 by losing in straight sets to a German called David Prinosil.

That was the first of what have been — to date — 146 matches in 49 Grand Slams, the Australian Open of 2003 being the only one he missed in an 11-year run from 1996 onwards.

The U.S. Open could not provide the emotion that will accompany Henman's final appearance at the All England next month, but the Big Apple clearly wishes him well.

The nearest thing to Henman Hill at Flushing Meadows is the vast acreage of eating and drinking areas in the middle of the site but, fortified by a large smattering of Brits, he was generously cheered from the off.

In fact, when Henman won a closely-fought first set there was something that sounded vaguely like a throaty roar.

Last night was not about whether he could win this event or even last deep into the second week, but beyond sentiment there was some significance with regards to the Davis Cup match against Croatia that will be his swansong. The positive thing from the British standpoint is that Henman showed that, while spirit and flesh are not quite what they were, his game has certainly not disintegrated.

Henman, his ranking now reduced to 130, still looks extremely poised when attacking the net and he always looked at his best when setting up the point on which to charge in. In an age when competent volleying is threatening to go the way of the dodo, he remains among the most skilled at this delicate art.

The reflexes are in decent working order, too, for few fire the ball harder than Tursunov, a curious California-based Russian who, beneath an austere exterior, is a rather zany character who lists his interests as knitting and collecting shells.

His extravagant shotmaking compensates for a lack of natural footspeed and Henman has always found his erratic brilliance somewhat disconcerting.

Henman clinched the first set after breaking for 5-4 with a classic chip and charge, although there was no surprise when he struggled to close it out after double faulting at the start of the next game.

Tursunov was not at his best by a stretch, his high-risk game featuring an unusually high percentage of sprayed groundstrokes mixed in with his staggering winners.

He was also labouring in the knowledge that Henman had far less to lose than him, when it has often been the other way round in their encounters.

The Russian gained the ascendancy in the second set, although he was slightly fortunate to break for 4-2 when he shanked a backhand just inside the sideline.

Breaks were exchanged early in the third set but Henman was starting to benefit from the increasing disintegration of Tursunov's serve while his own had rarely