Top seed Thomas Enqvist brimmed with confidence after beating Swiss Roger Federer 7-6 6-4 in Adelaide yesterday and said he was sure he could successfully defend his Australian men's hardcourt title.

Second seed Tim Henman battled past gritty Jean-Rene Lisnard of France 3-6 6-4 6-2. Henman struggled against the pace and precision of Lisnard in the first set but survived five break points midway through the second set to take command. Henman's win boosted his claims that his game is improving ahead of the Australian Open, which begins in under a fortnight. "I'm very pleased with the way I played overall," he said.

In Perth, Amanda Coetzer and Wayne Ferreira secured South Africa's place in the final of the Hopman Cup despite losing 2-1 to the United States. The round-robin format leaves the identity of the other finalists undecided until today, but Thailand are strong favourites after their second-round upset over second seeds Slovakia, whom they whitewashed after Henrieta Nagyova suffered a thigh strain.