Henman through to last eight after five-set thriller

Tim Henman overcame a stomach upset and an unexpectedly tough Swiss opponent, Michel Kratochvil, to salvage his chances of winning Wimbledon with a 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court No 1 yesterday.

Henman's hopes of following in the long faded footsteps of Fred Perry ­ the last British men's champion in 1936 ­ were hampered by an interruption for rain after which he felt the full effects of his ailment. The British No 1 required three court visits from the tour trainer, who provided massage, smelling salts and, finally, tablets.

"When I came back after the rain delay I had very little energy," Henman said. "I don't know what kept me alive but I think the crowd can take a lot of credit for that."

Henman, seeded No 4, quickly realised his Swiss opponent would not provide an easy path to the quarter-finals. The world No 45 troubled him throughout with his fierce service returns. But Kratochvil, whose parents left Czechoslovakia during the 1968 Soviet invasion, let himself down by serving a remarkable 17 double faults in the match.

To go through to the semi-finals, Henman will have to overcome another surprise package, the Brazilian Andre Sa.

Greg Rusedski, the British No 2, was locked in an equally testing tussle with the Belgian Xavier Malisse. The scores were level at 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6 when fading light forced the players off court.