Henman pulls out five-set win over Moya

British hope Tim Henman needed two days to make it to the second round of Wimbledon, outlasting Carlos Moya today in a riveting conclusion in which he won the fifth set 13-11 on his seventh match point.

British hope Tim Henman needed two days to make it to the second round of Wimbledon, outlasting Carlos Moya today in a riveting conclusion in which he won the fifth set 13-11 on his seventh match point.

A double-fault by Moya on the third match point of the 24th game of the set gave Henman a 6-3, 1-6, 5-7, 6-2, 13-11 win that enthralled the Centre Court crowd at the All-England Club.

Second seed Spaniard Rafael Nadal had it easy against Mardy Fish of the US, winning 6-3, 7-6 7-4, 6-3.

Henman, a four-time semi-finalist playing in his 14th Wimbledon, had been tied 5-5 with Moya in the fifth set when the first-round match was stopped because of darkness yesterday night. Henman missed four match points at 5-4.

8220;It would have been pretty sweet to finish it off last night,8221; he said. 8220;Perhaps this scenario is even better.8221; Henman, who has a tradition of pulling out five-set victories at Wimbledon, has lost in the second round the last two years. The last British man to win the title at Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936.

8220;This place is so special to me and I8217;ve had so many experiences over the years I always believe that good things are going to happen,8221; he said. The two men returned to Centre Court after Amelie Mauresmo had opened the defence of her women8217;s title today by beating Jamea Jackson of the USA 6-1, 6-3 in just more than an hour.

That was slightly less time that it took Henman and Moya, the 1998 French Open champion and former No. 1-ranked player, to complete their match. Also advancing today was 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt, the only champion in the men8217;s field other than four-time winner Roger Federer. The 16th-seeded Australian beat British wild card Richard Bloomfield 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.

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In the women8217;s section, Second seed Maria Sharapova defeated Taipei8217;s Yung-Jan Chan 6-1. 7-5 while Venus Williams joined sister Serena in the second round beating Russia8217;s Alla Kudryavtseva 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.Third-seeded Jelena Jankovic and No. 8 Anna Chakvetadze were also among the women who advanced.

Henman and Moya both pulled out some brilliant shots under pressure 8212; including aces, running passing shots and stab volleys 8212; to keep the match going. Henman saved two break points while serving at 11-all 8212; the first with an ace down the middle, and the second with a stunning second-serve ace, a high-kicking delivery into Moya8217;s backhand corner.

In the next game, Henman got to 15-40 on Moya8217;s serv. Henman squandered the first match point with a misplayed backhand return, and Moya saved the second with a backhand volley winner. After an error at deuce, the match ended with Moya hitting a second serve long.

In men8217;s play, No. 9 James Blake beat Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 while Ivan Ljubicic and Marat Safin also won.