Top seed Rafa Nadal moved into the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters Friday when Ivan Ljubicic became the eighth player to retire from the $3.24 million tournament. The Spanish world No. 2 had just evened the match up at 3-6, 6-3 when 30-year-old Ljubicic, who had already had treatment on his left thigh, decided he could no longer continue. Nadal, who lost to another big-serving Croatian in Marin Cilic at the China Open last week, will face compatriot Feliciano Lopez Saturday hoping to reach his first final since knee and abdominal injuries disrupted his season. Second seed Novak Djokovic earlier came through a tough test of his nerve at the hands of Gilles Simon to set up a semifinal against sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory. The 22-year-old, chasing a third successive title in China after last year's Masters Cup triumph and last week's victory in Beijing, needed to show real mental strength in a frenetic third set against the French hustler. The pair traded two breaks each in a dramatic first four games, Djokovic at one stage going from chest-pounding delight to racket-smashing fury in a matter of three points. The Serbian, who will be world No. 3 again next week, broke Simon again for 3-2, and was the first to hold serve before rattling through the remainder of the set. Sixth seed Davydenko earlier survived a tactical switch which won Czech Radek Stepanek the second set to claim a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory. Davydenko stood firm through pressure on his serve early in the deciding set before re-establishing control and racing to a comfortable victory. Djokovic crushed Davydenko in the 2008 Masters Cup final at the Qizhong arena. Spain's Feliciano Lopez upset ninth seed Robin Soderling 7-6, 6-3 to reach his first semifinal of the season. Wozniacki in semis In Osaka, defending champion Caroline Wozniacki Friday avenged her recent loss to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada to reach the semifinals at the Japan Open women's tennis tournament. The 19-year-old Danish top seed, who conceded a match against the Canadian while suffering a viral illness in Tokyo two weeks ago, restored her status with a 6-2, 6-7 (1/7), 6-2 win. In the semifinals Saturday, Wozniacki takes on third seed Samantha Stosur of Australia, the winner over 2002 champion Jill Craybas of the United States. The other semifinal match will be played between fourth seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy and Indian star Sania Mirza, who both got through their quarterfinal matches comfortably. Schiavone walked over seventh seed Melinda Czink of Hungary, who abandoned Friday's match with a right foot injury. The 22-year-old Mirza defeated 2006 champion Marion Bartoli when the French second seed retired with a right shoulder problem at 6-4, 2-0 down. Pennetta, Wickmayer in semis In Austria, top-seeded Flavia Pennetta came a step closer to winning her first indoor title Friday by beating Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies. The 11th-seeded Italian will next face No. 3 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium. No. 2 Agnieskza Radwanska of Poland and unseeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic also reached the semifinals. Pennetta now meets Wickmayer, who defeated No. 8 Sara Errani of Italy 7-5, 6-3. Radwanska beat No. 7 Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (9), and Kvitova defeated No. 4 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-4, 7
