Sampras to put end to Henmania

The dam of common sense, perspective and detached analysis is ready to burst . . . Henmania is set to flood Wimbledon.

Already the superlatives have begun to seep through, national euphoria causing that stiff upper lip to tremble in anticipation. The only thing preventing a slide into chaos and unbridled jingoism is the figure of Pete Sampras, world number one and four-times champion at the All England club.

Had Oxford-born Tim Henman been due to meet anyone other than Sampras in today's men's singles semi-final, his place in the final would have been assured in the eyes of the British media. As things stand they are prepared to concede that a man who, with 10 victories, ranks fourth on the list of all-time Grand Slam winners, deserves the mantle of favouritism over the local boy who has managed some accomplished tennis in this tournament.

No one would dispute Hen man's right to a semi-final berth but it must be remembered that in his opening three matches, ostensibly against players who preferred the sanctuary of the baseline, it was a bit like shooting ducks in a bath with a shotgun. Even then, Byron Black should have extended Henman to a fiveset match had he not mentally collapsed when perfectly poised.

Patrick Rafter gave arguably his worst performance in submitting meekly before Henman, who then faced the immobile Petr Korda. Ironically, in that quarter-final against Korda, when least required, the 23-year-old Henman produced as good a serve-and-volley performance as has been seen at these championships.

The Englishman is naturally gifted, boasts a good temperament, and his game is ideally suited to the demands of grass. A nagging doubt, which dogged earlier performances, was a carelessness in capitalising on break points and a tendency, on occasion, towards brainless tennis: taking on high risk shots and going for big second serves - basically giving up cheap points.

He can ill-afford them against a player who specialises in inducing a smothering pressure on opponents. Sampras has yet to drop a set in five matches - the last person to do so in winning the title was Bjorn Borg in 1976 - and this may be attributed to his sup erb serve and exceptional returns.

Coming into Wimbledon, Sampras had been in something of a grand slam slump, having failed to pass the quarter-final round in the previous three, but the sight of his favourite arena has inspired the 26-year-old American. He will also be aware that a failure to win at Wimbledon would mean that Marcelo Rios would become the world number one.

Henman must be mentally committed for the long haul. He must produce his best serve-and-volley game and his serve is the priority.

In deciding upon a victor, one must recognise that if both players approach their best then there can be only one winner, Pistol Pete Sampras.

The other semi-final should be something of an "ace-fest", with Goran Ivanisevic and former champion Richard Krajicek pounding each other with howitzer serves, looking to scramble an edge in a match that is likely to be decided by tie-breaks. Might not be pretty, and strictly for those with good eyesight and a high boredom threshold.

The Croatian has been mentally strong in these championships and if he can maintain that concentration could shade this contest.