Šafářová retires in semi-finals in Madrid

Lucie Šafářová has failed to reach the final of tennis’s Madrid Open after she retired in a semi-final clash with Aravane Rezai of France on Saturday. Šafářová, who is 23, had lost the first set 1-6 when she decided she could not go on. The Czech’s ranking climbed to the top 30 for the first time since January 2008 this week after a solid clay-court season, and she had been hoping to reach her second final this year.