Windy City Open 2003
05-08 March, Chicago, USA,  $15k

08 Mar
PRICE CLAIMS WINDY CITY TITLE
Australia's Paul Price beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in the final in Chicago, USA, to claim his first title on the PSA Tour since winning the Pittsburgh Open in November 1999.

Top-seeded Price, the 26-year-old Melbournian who has been working hard to rediscover the touch which took him to the British Open final in October 2000 and to a world No4 ranking in August 2001, was in devastating form as he overcame his fourth-seeded opponent 15-11 15-14 15-17 15-11 to lift the Chicago title for the first time.

"That was probably our best final ever," said John Flanigan, Athletic Director of the University Club of Chicago after the one hour and 45-minute contest. 

Price, currently ranked 21 in the world, was celebrating his eighth PSA Tour title win in 15 final appearances since 1996 - and will be hoping that the success will mark a return to the world top twenty.

It was a disappointing conclusion for the young and fast-improving Gaultier who, after needing almost two hours to see off his semi-final opponent, was consigned to the runner-up position for the second year running.

07 Mar - Semis: Gaultier gets second chance ...
06 Mar - Quarters: English routed ...
05 Mar - First round: Seeds make progress ...
04 Mar - Qualifying: The English are coming ...

• Draw & Results
   

• Reports
   

• 2002 Event

Paul Price

Renan Lavigne

Gregory Gaultier

Shahier Razik

PRICE CLAIMS WINDY CITY TITLE
Australia's Paul Price beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in the final in Chicago, USA, to claim his first title on the PSA Tour since winning the Pittsburgh Open in November 1999.

Top-seeded Price, the 26-year-old Melbournian who has been working hard to rediscover the touch which took him to the British Open final in October 2000 and to a world No4 ranking in August 2001, was in devastating form as he overcame his fourth-seeded opponent 15-11 15-14 15-17 15-11 to lift the Chicago title for the first time.

"That was probably our best final ever," said John Flanigan, Athletic Director of the University Club of Chicago after the one hour and 45-minute contest. 

Price, currently ranked 21 in the world, was celebrating his eighth PSA Tour title win in 15 final appearances since 1996 - and will be hoping that the success will mark a return to the world top twenty.

It was a disappointing conclusion for the young and fast-improving Gaultier who, after needing almost two hours to see off his semi-final opponent, was consigned to the runner-up position for the second year running.

07 Mar - Semis:
GAULTIER GETS SECOND CHANCE
Australia's No1 seed Paul Price and fourth-seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier will meet in the final after contrasting semi-final victories in Chicago, USA.

Gaultier, 20, from Aix-en-Provence, needed two minutes short of two hours to overcome Canada's 5th seed Shahier Razik 15-9 14-15 15-9 15-13 to celebrate his second successive appearance in the Chicago event final.

Price's straight games win marked a morale-boosting return to a PSA Tour final for the former world No4 for the first time since February 2001.

Plagued by back injuries, the 2000 British Open runner-up has failed to reach a PSA event quarter-final for more than a year. Now ranked 21 in the world, the 26-year-old from Melbourne despatched France's third seed Renan Lavigne 15-4 15-12 15-14 to celebrate his 15th final appearance since 1996.

[1] Paul Price (Aus) bt [3] Renan Lavigne (Fra)  15/4, 15/12, 15/14
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [5] Shahier Razik (Can)  15/9, 14/15, 15/9, 15/13

English routed ...
Despite providing seven of the first round competitors, there will be no English representation in the Windy City Open semi-finals.

Top seed Paul Price beat qualifier Mark Heather, and will meet third seed Renan Lavigne who cruised past Tim Garner. Last year's runner-up Gregory Gaultier made quick work of Liam Kenny, and now meets Shahier Razik, who upset second seed Nick Matthew in a five-game thriller.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Paul Price (Aus) bt [Q] Mark Heather (Eng)  15-7, 15-17, 15-9, 15-8
[3] Renan Lavigne (Fra) bt [7] Tim Garner (Eng)  15/6, 15/12, 15/4
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [8] Liam Kenny (Irl)  15/12, 15/8, 15/7
[5] Shahier Razik (Can) bt [2] Nick Matthew (Eng)   8/15, 15/3, 17/15, 12/15, 15/13

Seeds progress in Chicago
Tim Garner reports
Eighth seed Glenn Keenan was the only seeded faller at the first round hurdle. However, it took last year's semi finalist Mark Heather over 100 minutes to ease past the Australian. Despite bitterly cold conditions outside the court remains hot and bouncy and few of the matches were completed in under an hour.

1st round:
[1] Paul Price (AUS) bt Beau River (USA) 15-6, 15-10, 15-7
[Q] Mark Heather (ENG) bt Glenn Keenan (AUS) 15-8, 6-15, 15-8, 11-15, 15-10
[3] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [Q] Joey Barrington (ENG) 15-11, 15-7, 10-15, 15-9
[7] Tim Garner (ENG) bt [Q] Alister Walker (ENG) 15-10, 15-12, 15-8
[8] Liam Kenny (IRL) bt [Q] Julian Wellings (ENG) 12-15, 15-11, 15-5, 15-12
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Mika Monto (FIN) 15-9, 15-7, 15-9
[5] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Hisham Moh'd Ashour (EGY) 15-10, 15-8, 15-11
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Alex Stait (ENG) 13-15, 15-3, 15-9, 15-10

The English are coming ...
It was an English clean sweep in qualifying for the Windy City Open in Chicago, as Mark Heather, Alister Walker, Duncan Walsh and Julian Wellings joined Nick Matthew, Tim Garner and Alex Stait in the main draw

Qualifying finals (04 Mar):
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Preston Quick (Usa)  15/9, 15/8, 15/7
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Eric Galvez (Mex)  15/8, 11/15, 15/10, 15/8
Julian Wellings (Eng) bt Ian Power (Can)  15/9, 15/13, 15/13
Mark Heather (Eng) bt Duncan Walsh (Eng)  15/9, 15/9, 15/8

Qualifying round one (03 Mar):
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt John Rooney (Irl)  15/9, 15/8, 15/7
Preston Quick (Usa) bt Matthew Guiffre (Can)  15/13, 15/12, 15/8
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Rob McFadzean* (Usa)  15/5, 15/10, 15/10
Eric Galvez (Mex) bt Patrick Chifunda (Zam)  15/9, 13/15, 15/7, 15/7
Julian Wellings (Eng) bt Michael Hopkins (Eng)  11/15, 15/8, 15/17, 15/8, 15/10
Ian Power (Can) bt Imran Khan (Pak)  15/7, 15/14, 15/7
Duncan Walsh (Eng) bt Jago Nardelli (Eng)  15/13, 15/10, 15/11
Mark Heather (Eng) bt Chris Gordon* (Usa)  15/7, 15/12, 15/7

Charter Consulting Windy City Open,
Chicago, USA, 27 Feb - 02 Mar

Final:
[1] Nick Taylor (ENG) bt [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)    15-10, 15-7, 15-4 (85m)

Taylor Takes Windy City Title
England's Nick Taylor defeated France's European Junior champion Gregory Gaultier in the final of the Charter Consulting Windy City Open to claim his ninth PSA Tour title.

Gaultier, the 19-year-old from Aix-en-Provence in his second successive PSA final in a week, fully extended the experienced top seed in the first game, which lasted almost 40 minutes. The impressive teenager made too many errors, however, in the second - and by the third, the toll of his efforts both in Chicago and Dayton, Ohio, began to tell.

After 85 minutes, 30-year-old Manchester-based Taylor clinched his 15-10 15-7 15-4 victory - and his first PSA title since winning the Apawamis Open, also in the USA, in New York in January 2000.

Semi-Finals:
[1] Nick Taylor (ENG) bt Mark Heather (ENG)  12-15, 15-10, 15-5, 15-8   75m
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [2] Tim Garner (ENG)  15-6, 15-12, 17-16   85m

Quarter-Finals:
[1] Nick Taylor (ENG) bt [Q] John Rooney (IRL) 15-7, 15-5, 15-3
Mark Heather (ENG) bt [6] Liam Kenny (IRL)  15-13, 15-8 , 13-15, 15-13
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Stacey Ross (ENG) 15-12, 15-12, 15-12
[2] Tim Garner (ENG) bt [5] Scott Handley (ENG)  15-9, 15-12, 15-4

1st round:
[1] Nick Taylor (ENG) bt [Q] Nathan Dugan (ENG) 15-9, 15-11, 15-8
[Q] John Rooney (IRL) bt [8] Jonathan Kemp (ENG)    9-15, 15-11, 15-7, 15-12
Mark Heather (ENG) bt [3] Mika Monto (FIN)  15-7, 15-9, 15-6
[6] Liam Kenny (IRL) bt Alberto Manso (ESP) 15-8, 15-10, 15-9
[Q] Stacey Ross (ENG) bt [7] Glenn Keenan (AUS) 15-8, 13-15, 15-11, 15-8
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Gavin Jones (WAL) 15-6, 15-8, 15-10
[5] Scott Handley (ENG) bt [Q] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND)    15-11, 15-9, 15-11
[2] Tim Garner (ENG) bt Beau River (USA)    12-15, 15-9, 15-8, 15-9