Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov beat Britain's Tim Henman 6-2 7-6 in the final of the Rotterdam world indoor tournament yesterday.

Third seed Henman dropped four consecutive games from 2-2 to concede the first set against the more consistent play of the Russian.

Each gained two service breaks in the second set, taking it to a tiebreak which second seed Kafelnikov won 7-3.

The victory enhanced Kafelnikov's chances of taking over from American Pete Sampras as world number one. Kafelnikov plays in London this week. Sampras is due to play in Scottsdale, Arizona, the following week.

Henman's compatriot Greg Rusedski said after he was beaten by Kafelnikov in Saturday's semi-finals that he believed the Russian was currently by far the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, top seed Jana Novotna beat Venus Williams 6-4 64 in the Faber Grand Prix final in Havover yesterday. The elegant Czech veteran showed more composure when it mattered on her way to a convincing win over the powerful American second seed.