Henman to face Federer in final

Tennis:  Tim Henman will have another chance to break Roger Federer's stranglehold on their rivalry after sweeping aside Hyung…

Tennis:  Tim Henman will have another chance to break Roger Federer's stranglehold on their rivalry after sweeping aside Hyung-Taik Lee to reach the Japan Open final.

The British number two, who has been in impressive form in Tokyo, beat the Korean ninth seed in straight sets, 6-4 7-6 (7/5).

The decisive break in the first set came at 5-4, but Henman was made to work much harder in the second, in which the pair traded blows all the way to a tie-break.

But the Briton held his nerve to edge it and set up a 13th career meeting with Federer.

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The top seed enjoyed an even more straightforward victory over German Benjamin Becker, winning 6-3 6-4 in the day's first semi-final.

Henman has lost his last five matches against the world number one, the Swiss not even dropping a set against a player who once dominated their rivalry. Henman won the first four clashes between the pair.

But Federer's rise has coincided with a power shift that saw him level their head-to-head at 6-6 following crushing victories at both Wimbledon and the US Open this year.  PA