Vaughan to quit after losing spot

Former British number one Richard Vaughan is set to retire after failing to qualify for the Olympics.

Welshman Vaughan's loss to Prrzemyslaw Wacha in the European Championships third round means Andrew Smith will take the British men's singles slot.

"I will probably retire now. I don't have any funding. I have bills to pay so it's time to stop," said Vaughan.

Vaughan hit the headlines in February when he spoke out against China's human rights record in Darfur.

Smith was a second-round loser to Russian Stanislav Pukhov at the European Championships in Herning, Denmark, but is ranked 31 in the world to Vaughan's 41, with the cut-off for qualification 1 May.

Smith said: "I feel sorry for him but obviously my good performance in reaching the Indian Open semi-finals earlier this month made all a big difference.

"It's been a year-long effort and as a result I have struggled a bit this week."

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