James Ward through opening qualifier in Shanghai

James Ward will play Viktor Troicki for a place in the Shanghai Masters after he progressed past Rajeev Ram.

After dropping the first set, the British number two was leading 3-2 in the second before Ram pulled out of their match in China.

Coincidentally, Ward had retired against the same opponent in the qualifying rounds for the Japan Open last week.

The 27-year-old will play Troicki on Sunday after the Serbian defeated Marinko Matosevic in straight sets.