Koubek halts Tim Henman’s hope of revival

Tim Henman showed he was still far from his best when he lost in straight sets to Austria’s Stefan Koubek in the second round of the Munich Open on Thursday.

A crushing 6-4, 6-0 win gave Koubek, who captured the third ATP title of his career in the season-opening Qatar Open in January, a measure of revenge after losing his three previous meetings with the Briton.

Henman, a wild card and seventh seed in the $380,000 clay court event, is struggling to come back after having shoulder surgery in November.

His hard-fought win over Ecuador’s Nicolas Lapentti in the first round on Tuesday was only his second victory this year.