Al-Ahram World Open Squash Championship

Sensational Fightback Sees Palmer Win World Open Crown In Egypt

Australia's David Palmer came back from the dead to beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in a drama-filled final of the Al-Ahram World Open Squash Championship, played out on an all-glass court on the Giza Plateaux in Egypt, with the country's world-famous pyramids providing a stunning backdrop.
The PSA Tour's flagship event was back in the sport's most spectacular setting for the first time since 1999 – with the undoubted local hopes that Egypt's 'Prince of Squash' Amr Shabana, the world No1 and title-holder, would feature in tonight's climax.
But Shabana's defence crumbled in the previous round when France's bright new hope Gregory Gaultier – a 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence who had never before reached a PSA Super Series final - pulled off a sensational upset to dethrone the champion in four games.
Belying his lack of experience on such a stage, however, Gaultier forged a two-games-to-love lead in the final against Palmer - the experienced 30-year-old world No2 who was making his third appearance in a world final, with a famous victory in 2002 in his adopted home town of Antwerp in Belgium to his credit.
Palmer, celebrating his 40th appearance in a PSA Tour event final, dug deep and hauled himself back into the match, winning the third game by the same 11-9 margin as the Frenchman had taken the earlier games, then forcing the fourth into a tie-break.
The Australian saved no less than five match balls against him before clinching victory in the game to level the match.
By now, the younger Gaultier was almost a spent force. Palmer duly enforced his advantage and wrapped up a remarkable 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-10 (6-4), 11-2 victory in 103 minutes to claim the World Open title for a second time.
"I didn’t play my best squash today, that’s for sure, but if you think of the preparation I had this summer, I just went home for three months, I think that being away from it all for that whole period helped me to want to win again, and since the birth of my daughter Kayla, everything is different, I play for her, I play for Mel," a jubilant Palmer told www.squashsite.co.uk
A disappointed Gaultier was already looking ahead: "I’ve played a super tournament, even if I ended up with a loss. Now I need to go back to the drawing board, and start again on solid bases. Won’t be easy, but I hope that one day, I’ll win that World Championship title."
The match – which marks the 18th PSA Tour title of Palmer's career - was not only the longest of the tournament, but the longest World Open final in recent memory.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gaultier Stuns Champion Shabana To Set Up World Open Final Against Palmer
Australia's No2 seed David Palmer and France's eighth seed Gregory Gaultier will meet in Wednesday's final of the Al-Ahram World Open Squash Championship after Palmer defeated former champion Thierry Lincou and Gaultier disappointed the packed local crowd when he upset Egypt's top seed and defending champion Amr Shabana in dramatic semi-finals on on the all-glass court set alongside Egypt's famous pyramids of Giza.
For Palmer, the 2002 champion, it will be his third appearance in the final – but for Gaultier, the fast-rising 23-year-old who has never before progressed beyond the event's third round and who today celebrated a career-high world No7 ranking, it will be his maiden appearance in any PSA Super Series event final.
It was a fine display by the young Frenchman who had only once before beaten the in-form Shabana, the 27-year-old from Giza who has topped the world rankings for the past six months and boasts three PSA Tour titles this year.
After taking the first two games, Gaultier lost his way in the third game as Shabana turned on his racket magic and reduced the deficit. But Gaultier could still sense victory and duly regained his focus in the fourth game to charge to a majestic 11-5, 11-7, 2-11, 11-9 win.
When Palmer, the world No2 from Lithgow in New South Wales, took a two-games-to-love lead against Lincou, the world No3, he must have thought back to May when he reached the same position against the Frenchman in the final of the Liverpool 08 Open – and went on to lose in five!
Indeed, after a tie-break in the second which ended in Palmer's favour, Lincou survived the third game tie-break to force the match into a fourth game. But Palmer was not about to let history repeat itself, and maintained his composure to record an impressive 11-2, 11-10 (2-0), 10-11 (0-2), 11-5 win – a victory which brings the career head-to head tally between the two to six wins apiece!
Gaultier, from Aix-en-Provence, has faced Palmer four times on the PSA Tour since November 2003 - but, despite taking the experienced 30-year-old former world number one to five games in their last two meetings, has never yet beaten the Australian. Victory at the pyramids would surely signal the arrival of the French number two!
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Gaultier Denies Egyptian Double In Giza
The giant-killing run of 18-year-old Egyptian Ramy Ashour came to an end on the all-glass court alongside the pyramids of Giza when Frenchman Gregory Gaultier denied hosts representation in both semi-finals of the Al-Ahram World Open Squash Championship in Egypt.
Gaultier, the 23-year-old eighth seed from Aix-en-Provence, is currently enjoying an excellent run of form – after reaching the final of the English Open last month and winning the European Individual Championship crown for the third year in a row in June.
Unseeded Ashour, who recently became the first man in history to win the World Junior Championship title for a second time, took his unexpected place in the last eight after upsetting tenth seed Lee Beachill in a marathon five-game second round match.
Gaultier, who stopped the Egyptian teenager in the first round of the event almost twelve months ago, was too strong for the local hero in the sport's iconic Giza setting, winning 11-10 (3-1), 11-9, 11-2 in 44 minutes.
"I played Ramy in Hong Kong, and that was quite easy, but a year later, he has improved immensely," Gaultier told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. "But today, I came on court to play and beat him, not to get to the semi-final of the World Open. That’s all I saw. My opponent. Nothing else. And I wanted to stay on court as short as possible."
Now in his first World Open semi-final, the Frenchman will face another Egyptian - favourite Amr Shabana, the title-holder. The pair have met three time before – all during last year – with world number one Shabana holding a 2/1 advantage.
In the earlier match on the second day of quarter-final action by the pyramids, David Palmer triumphed in the all-Australian battle with Anthony Ricketts, the second seed from Lithgow in New South Wales - recovering from a game down to beat the No5 seed from Sydney 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 in 70 minutes.
Palmer, the 2002 champion now in the semi-finals of the championship for the fourth time, meets 2004 champion Thierry Lincou in a repeat of the Liverpool 08 Open final in May in which the Frenchman fought back from two games down to clinch the title. The Giza semi-final will be the pair's 12th PSA Tour meeting since 1999, with Palmer no doubt setting his sights on levelling the head-to-head tally to six-all.
from: http://www.squash.org/
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