Henman Finds His Rhythm As Hewitt Sings the Blues

This was the Queen's Friday Mirabilis. Tim Henman defeated France's Anthony Dupuis and is now poised for his fourth Stella Artois final in the last five years, and Andre Agassi, playing at the tournament for only the second time and hugely welcomed by all and sundry, recaptured the world No1 spot from Lleyton Hewitt. It was a grand slam type of quarter-final day in its intensity.

The big loser was Hewitt, winner here for the last three years and the reigning Wimbledon champion. The moment he lost 6-3, 6-4 to France's Sébastien Grosjean, who today plays Henman, Agassi was poised to return to the top of the rankings and he made not the slightest mistake, beating Belgium's Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-5.

Hewitt's defeat was also the best possible news for Henman, who otherwise would have faced the Australian today knowing he had never beaten him in six attempts, including the last two finals here and the Wimbledon semi-final last year.

More good news for Henman watchers was that his 6-1, 6-4 victory over Dupuis was the first time he had won three successive matches since last year's Wimbledon. He was obviously delighted, as was Agassi, who is fast emerging as the favourite for his second grand slam title on grass, the first coming in 1992, two years before Henman made his Wimbledon debut.

Henman has now won more matches than he has lost (9-8) for the first time since he returned from his shoulder operation, although he admitted it was stiff afterwards. Dupuis was patently nervous but Henman, despite falling in the first set and grazing his right hand, moved to the net with determination and appeared much sharper and more confident than in his two previous scrappy wins this week. Henman has a 3-1 advantage over Grosjean, including a win this year on clay.

But it was Hewitt's defeat by Grosjean that will reverberate most going into Wimbledon, which starts a week on Monday. It ended a 17-match winning run at Queen's for the Australian, and a 17-match winning run on grass stretching back to the 2001 Davis Cup final when Hewitt defeated, with perfect symmetry, none other than Grosjean. As at Roland Garros he appeared both jaded and vulnerable.

The beginning was deceptively straightforward, Hewitt breaking Grosjean's serve in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Those who had dragged themselves away from the corporate lunches and the Pimm's jugs settled back in the unaccustomed high heat of London in mid-June and prepared themselves for the seemingly inevitable.

"Allez Grosjean" floated a lone voice from somewhere below the BBC commentary box but with no special conviction. It was as if a little piece of Roland Garros had suddenly wormed its way into Barons Court, Grosjean joyously hitting a backhand winner down the line, causing Hewitt to give the Frenchman a long, hard look. Previously Hewitt had studiously avoided Grosjean's forehand and he was not expecting this.

As if in shock Hewitt double- faulted and his billy never really boiled again. Waltzing Matilda became a death march. Grosjean is no mug on grass; he won at Nottingham three years ago and has an excellent first serve coupled with a heavy forehand hit off a short back-lift. Meanwhile Hewitt's struggles with his own serve continued. In the sixth game he completely mistimed a second serve which barely made the net. Club players gawped and whispered to each other: "I can do that".

A brilliant lob on the run, one of Hewitt's specialities, briefly kept Grosjean at bay but the Frenchman was giving Hewitt no pace to work with in the rallies and then dramatically unleashing forehand winners of sumptuous pace and accuracy. He duly broke for 4-2, Hewitt shaking his head and fiddling with his gold neck chain, bracing himself for a prolonged fight.

Grosjean, exuding an inner calmness and never hurrying his shots, served out the first set with assured certainty and then broke Hewitt again for a 3-2 second-set lead. Hewitt thought he had saved it with a backhand arrowed down the line but the "come on" trailed to nothing as the ball drifted wide.

Hewitt's forehand was particularly unreliable and the Australian was moved to applaud when Grosjean chased back to retrieve a lob and replied with a winning backhand. With the Frenchman leading 6-3, 4-2 and 40-15 on Hewitt's serve, the match seemed over but this was to underestimate the world No 1's fighting instincts.

Hewitt levelled at 4-4. Then, just as it appeared Grosjean might be wobbling, Hewitt lost his serve again after being 40-0 up. "I don't remember doing that or missing so many game points since I got into the top 10," said Hewitt.

The match ended on a 67mph Grosjean second serve kicker that Hewitt clattered into the net. It encapsulated what had been a thoroughly mediocre week for the world No1 turned No2, whose overall play lacked both sparkle and conviction. He will need to improve markedly if he is to defend his Wimbledon title, with Agassi leading the hunt.

Semi-final line-up: T Henman (GB) v S Grosjean (Fr); A Agassi (US) v A Roddick (US).