Back injury forces Monfils withdrawal

(AFP/Getty)

Another day, another set of retirements in the Shanghai Masters. The field was once again reduced by injury here last night as Gaël Monfils and Stanislas Wawrinka took to seven the number of players who have retired hurt this week.

Monfils was losing 6-2, 3-0 to Ivan Ljubicic when he succumbed to a back injury, while abdominal pains forced Wawrinka to quit when trailing 3-6, 7-6, 4-2 to Radek Stepanek. Eight of the world's top 22 players have now withdrawn either before or during the tournament, leaving organisers grateful to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for maintaining their progress after their victories last night.

Nadal beat Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-4 and now meets Ljubicic, the winner to face either Feliciano Lopez or Robin Soderling. In the other half of the draw Djokovic, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Germany's Rainer Schüttler, meets Gilles Simon. In the other quarter-final Stepanek faces Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-5.