Tennis: Tim Henman Crashes Out of the French Open in the First Round

Tim Henman was sent crashing out of the French Open at the first hurdle after being given the runaround by 18-year-old unknown Ernests Gulbis today.

The British No2 was second best from the moment he blew a 40-0 lead in the fifth game of the match, going down 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to the Latvian world No84. It is yet another setback for the 32-year-old, who has won only once on tour in an injury-hit season and has not tasted success on clay since this stage of the same event last year.

The first three games comfortably went with serve, Gulbis demonstrating his power in that department and giving the Briton little chance to break. He then earned himself two break points in the next but Henman saved both with some good aggressive play.

The missed opportunity seemed to affect the teenager as a series of errors allowed Henman to race to 40-0 in the next game. But Gulbis regained his composure to win five straight points and hold. The Latvian was beginning to look the better player, with Henman unable to trouble his opponent's serve and the Englishman being put under some pressure on his own. Matters came to a head at 5-4 to Gulbis, who moved up a gear to take Henman's serve to love and the set with some brutal groundstrokes.

Gulbis was showing few signs of nerves for a player making his grand slam debut, attempting almost every shot in the book from the back of the court. As in the first set, the opening three games of the second went with serve but a brilliant lob and volley gave Gulbis a 40-0 lead in the fourth. This time, Henman dug deep, mixing up his tactics to save a total of five break points.

The Briton then gave Gulbis something to think about in the fifth game, going 30-0 up and managing deuce twice before the Latvian held. A superb running crosscourt winner put Gulbis 40-0 up once again on the Henman serve - and this time enjoyed success with the third of those break points. Henman forced one of his own in his bid to break straight back but was simply not good enough to convert it. Serving to stay in the set at 5-2, Henman held with ease but so did Gulbis in the next game to take the set 6-3 and give his opponent a mountain to climb.

Things went from bad to worse at the start of the third, Henman yet again going 40-0 down, allowing Gulbis to break with ease. The teenager then endured a wobble on his own serve, a double-fault gifting Henman another two break points, and the Briton gratefully lapped up the second.

Buoyed by his breakthrough, Henman held in the next game. But an error-strewn display two games later let Gulbis reclaim the break to move 3-2 ahead. That quickly became 5-2 as Henman's attempt to serve and volley backfired, allowing the Latvian to serve for the match. Showing maturity above his years, Gulbis held to love to send Henman crashing out at the first hurdle.

Elsewhere, Roger Federer needed only a brisk 50-minute workout to finish off American Michael Russell 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 after his match was affected by the rain yesterday. It was the first step towards realizing the Swiss top seed's dream of winning the only grand slam to elude him so far.

Andy Roddick and Nadia Petrova, however, slid out in the first round for the second year running. Third seed Roddick once again came unstuck on the red clay with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Igor Andreev, while Russian 11th seed Nadia Petrova was humiliated 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 by 182nd-ranked qualifier Kveta Peschke.