Oxfordshire's Tim Henman got his grass-court season off to a winning start with a hard-fought three-set victory over American Robby Ginepri in the second round of the Stella Artois Championships.

The British No 1, given a first-round bye as third seed, had beaten Ginepri 6-1, 6-2 at Queen's in 2002 but was made to work harder yesterday for a 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 victory.

However, the 30-year-old was more than happy with the way he got through and ensured there was no repeat of his early exit at Queen's Club against Karol Beck 12 months ago.

"There are plenty of things to work on," he admitted. "I was trying to be aggressive and in the third set I started to come in a bit more and I felt like it was a pretty good match all round.

"I always appreciate how tough the first match is on the grass and to come through in that type of scenario was great.

"I played some good tennis in patches in the first two sets but to play as well as I did in the third was pleasing.

"There are areas I can improve on but to play for a couple of hours in that type of atmosphere and conditions was ideal."

Top seed Lleyton Hewitt was stretched to the limit before advancing to the third round with a 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Xavier Malisse.