He unleashed his full serve and volley repertoire to leave Kiefer, ranked No 24, frustrated in a high-quality contest."I really struggled in December and couldn't do the training I would have liked to have done but I feel this is really the start of my season as I was able to play almost pain free for the first time this year," Henman said. He also pointed out the benefit that Pilates has played in his new fitness regime. "I have been working on Pilates-type exercises and have really felt the difference over the past two weeks," Henman said.Although it took him six points to register on the scoreboard, Henman kept a firm grip on the match by never allowing his opponent to reach break point.The Argentinian fourth seed David Nalbandian's gamble to hone his skills on the indoor circuit backfired when he lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to the Czech Radek Stepanek, who meets Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round.The former world No 1 Kim Clijsters wasted little time in her comeback from a serious wrist injury, easing past Jelena Kostanic, of Croatia, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Antwerp Open yesterday. Bath dipped further into this year's salary cap by signing the former Italy fly-half Ramiro Pez from Leicester until the end of the season. To date Bath can boast a full XV of such crocks - the latest being flanker Andy Beattie, who it was discovered yesterday, has suffered a broken leg and severely damaged ankle ligaments which will rule him out for the rest of the season.Northampton, who have reported a half-year profit to 30 November of £234,879, learned yesterday that wing John Clarke needs a groin operation and he, too, will not play again this season.

But there are fears that the extra £250,000 from PRL will merely be used to bump up the salaries of big earners in club squads and there were calls yesterday to ensure that does not happen.The salary cap will be increased to a shade over £2m for next season and the extra quarter of a million will take the total available to spend on players to £2.3m.Bath, Newcastle and Wasps announced new signings yesterday. With concern growing for the health and safety of players it has emerged that Premier Rugby Limited, who represent the 12 Premiership clubs, is to ask the organisers of the Heineken Cup to allow larger squads from next season. I've seen the plans in detail now, and they're absolutely great - the sporting facilities which are planned, the transport structures, the regeneration plans, the job creation schemes."Polls published yesterday offered little clarification on the level of support for the London bid. A survey for GMTV showed that 59 per cent were against the bid while 41 per cent supported it, a significant drop in public backing in recent polls. The other members are Simon Balderstone, from Australia, Philippe Bovy, from Switzerland, Bob Elphinston, from Australia, Patrick Jarvis, from Canada, Jose Luis Marco, from Argentina, Ser Miang Ng, from Singapore, Sam Ramsamy, from South Africa, and Games executive director Gilbert Felli..

An ICM poll for The Guardian showed 52 per cent of people did not believe London could win, versus 39 per cent who thought it would Ladbrokes have cut London's odds to 3/1. Paris is the 1/4 favourite.THE IOC INSPECTORSNawal El Moutawakel (chair), from Morocco She won 400m hurdles gold in 1984. Dutch hockey player Els van Breda Vriesman, who is president of the International Hockey Federation. Sprinter Frank Fredericks, from Namibia, who won medals in the 1996 and 1992 Olympics. Mustapha Larfaoui, of Algeria, is president of international swimming. They might legitimately ask why is it, if a squad hailing from Lambeth, Lewisham, Stoke, Birmingham and Dublin were able to win England's most prestigious title just 16 years ago, that not a single local lad (or indeed any home nations or Irish lad) was able to make it into Monday's squad? Certainly Paul Merson, one of the squad from 1989, was having trouble yesterday comprehending the scale of change.