Henman volleys out of this world

"Tim - alien abduction." Jim Courier knows how to feed headlines to the tabloids. But yesterday for the last time in this year's tournament, the unseeded American took his opponent Tim Henman into a four-and-a-half-hour epic. Henman survived the Centre Court war of attrition - just.

After the two resumed their rain-interrupted match, Henman wobbled, let Courier back into the contest and weathered three match points to clinch the final set 9-7. No choking today.

"I think the rain break helped me in that it cooled off Tim," said Courier. "It was like an alien abduction out there, someone invaded his body and turned him into the greatest volleyer in the universe."

It was a day when a number of other familiar names joined that of Courier on the passenger list of today's early Concorde flight.

Boris Becker went out of his last Wimbledon to Australian Pat Rafter. And three-time finalist Goran Ivanisevic, who given his regular references to losing his mind, was possibly abducted by aliens some years ago, got rifled off the court by Todd Martin of the United States.

Greg Rusedski, Britain's adopted Canadian, failed to answer the questions asked by the Aussie known as "Scud", Mark Philippoussis, while title holder Pete Sampras continued to make this competition look like a stroll through Hyde Park beating the unseeded Daniel Nestor 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Sampras has still not yet dropped a set in four rounds.

But it was the Courier game with Henman which captured imaginations.

"It was very, very close and it could have gone either way but you know I'm pleased, I really stuck at it and showed a lot of guts. I didn't play amazingly well, but you have to dig deep and I'm pleased with the way I did that," said Henman. "The expectation, the attention that Greg and I have these two weeks is probably as big as it gets in any sport for any individual. The atmosphere out there is phenomenal," he said.

In defeat a tired Courier found humour his best ally. A veteran of media interrogation, the American former world number one also met the disappointment with equanimity. "I wish I was being paid by the hour out there. I would be doing alright," he said. And of his aversion to coming to the net?

"Very unfriendly relationship with the net cord. Net cord and I need to have a little chat. I need to get one of those British nets and bring it into my bed and sleep with it and cuddle with it at night a little," said Courier.

It is not often that the royal box stands to applaud, but they did as Becker left his favourite Centre Court for the last time, second seed Rafter winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

"This is definitely goodbye," said Becker. "Last time I said 99 per cent; now I say 100 per cent."

Rafter, who is also committed to the doubles competition with Jonas Bjorkman, faces Todd Martin in the quarter-finals. Martin's advance has come about with little attention, although his three-set win over Ivanisevic has begun to turn heads.

"He (Martin) is not the fastest tennis player on the tour, but he is playing very smart tennis," said the down-beat triple finalist. "I can see him getting to the final. He played good tennis today."

Rusedski, known for his flailing left arm returned more double faults than aces against "Scud" Philippoussis. Dropping his serve for the first time in the tournament, Rusedski bowed out gracefully, refusing to blame a problematic right leg, which required mid-match treatment, as the reason for his difficulties.

The Australian, having dropped the first set 2-6, took the second in a tie-break and then wiped the local hero off the court 6-3, 6-1.

"I had most of the play for the first two sets, but he came up when it counted in that second set tie-breaker and then he just kept on playing better, and he was just too good today," said Rusedski.

"Scud" now meets "Pistol Pete" Sampras with Henman facing 1997 finalist Cedric Pioline. The other final pairings are Andre Agassi against Gustavo Kuerten and Martin against Rafter.