Federer through to quarterfinals

Roger Federer returns one of Henman's weak serves during the fourth round of the Miami tournament Keystone

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer is through to the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Miami.

The 22-year-old from Basel was leading 6-2 after the first set, when his opponent, British Tim Henman, had to call off the match due to a neck injury.

Henman, who was noticeably weak right from the beginning of the match, had injured his neck on Monday when slinging his tennis bag over his shoulder.

When Federer was 5-2 in the lead, the British player called in a physiotherapist to receive treatment but the three-minute break did not improve his condition. After losing another serve, the Englishman called it a day.

Something wrong

Federer knew that something was wrong with Henman’s play, however, it took him six games to finally break his serve.

“It was difficult. I was not sure how serious Tim’s injury was. I didn’t feel comfortable until I broke his serve,” Federer said after the match.

Swiss tennis coach, Peter Lundgren, thinks Federer has a good chance to win the next match. “He is rested now and should be able to win on these courts,” he said.

swissinfo with agencies