Rain stirs Henman into action in German Open

With the rain came the comeback.

Tim Henman fought from behind to beat Jerome Golmard 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, and reach the third round of the German Open.

Showers delayed play on outside courts, but the center court at the Rothenbaum club has a folding roof and it came out after the first set.

As soon as the roof came out, Henman was a different player.

"I was delighted when they wanted to close the roof," Henman said. "It broke up the match and gave me a chance to talk through the match with my coach."

The eighth-seeded Briton broke Golmard's serve at love with a backhand passing shot to take the second set and ripped through the third, winning the last five games.

"The first set was abysmal, I donated my serve. After the break, I made him work and I slowed my self down," Henman said.

"I raised my percentage and I didn't give him cheap points. I picked up my game," said Henman, who is suffering from blisters on the big toe of his right foot.

With rain still holding up play on outside courts, Marcelo Rios, the defending champion, made quick work of Michael Kohlmann, winning 6-1, 6-0 in just 49 minutes, finishing the match with an ace.

The $2.95 million German Open is the fifth of the nine-tournament Masters Series, the most important events after the Grand Slams. It is also a major tune-up for the French Open, which starts May 29.

Second Round

Tim Henman (8) Britain, def. Jerome Golmard, France, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Marcelo Rios, Chile, def. Michael Kohlmann, Germany, 6-1, 6-0. Andrei Pavel Romania, def. Juan-Carlos Ferrero (15), Spain, 6-4, 6-4. Cedric Pioline (4), France, def. Max Mirnyi, Belarus, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Andrei Medvedev, Ukraine, def. Jan-Michael Gambill, United States, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2. Arnaud Di Pasquale, France, def. Pete Sampras (1), United States, 6-4, 6-4. Younes El Aynaoui (13), Morocco, def. Alberto Martin, Spain, 6-3, 6-1.