Internationaux De France  2002
Antibes, 9-14 September, Men $20k, Women $18k

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• Women's Draw
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Finals, 14-Sep:
GREG & FITZ TAKE TITLES
To the delight of the home crowd, Gregory Gaultier claimed the French Open title, twice coming from behind and saving a match ball to beat Nick Matthew 17/15 in the fifth.

In the women's final top seed Sarah Fitz-Gerald claimed the title, but was pushed hard by Linda Charman, winning two games 10/8 in her 3-1 victory, her 60th tour title.

Finals:
Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [7] Nick Matthew (Eng)
 12/15, 15/6, 10/15, 15/11, 17/15
[1] Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) bt [2] Linda Charman (Eng)
 10/8, 5/9, 9/4, 10/8

  15/12, 11/15, 15/11, 15/8

Rodney Durbach

12/15, 15/6, 10/15, 15/11, 17/15
 

Gregory Gaultier

15/10, 15/13, 12/15, 15/10

Gregory Gaultier

9/4, 9/2, 9/2

  Fiona Geaves

10/8, 5/9, 9/4, 10/8

  Linda Charman

9/7, 9/4, 9/0

  Linda Charman

GREG & FITZ TAKE TITLES

Finals:
Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [7] Nick Matthew (Eng)  12/15, 15/6, 10/15, 15/11, 17/15
[1] Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) bt [2] Linda Charman (Eng)  10/8, 5/9, 9/4, 10/8

The first French Open Squash Championships on the professional tour for more than ten years came to a dramatic climax in Antibes when unseeded local hero Gregory Gaultier clinched the men's title after saving a match ball and Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald triumphed in her toughest WISPA final for five months to claim her 60th Tour title.

In the men's final, 19-year-old Gregory Gaultier twice had to come from behind before beating seventh-seeded Englishman Nick Matthew. The world No37 and twice former European Junior Champion from Aix-en-Provence, who defeated his eighth-seeded compatriot Jean-Michel Arcucci to reach the final, celebrates his 4th PSA Tour title.

In her first tournament since winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal in July, top seed Fitz-Gerald was made to work hard by England's No2 seed Linda Charman before securing her 10-8 5-9 9-4 10-8 victory in her 90th appearance in a WISPA World Tour final.

"I set myself two goals this year - to win the Commonwealth Games gold medal
and to reach the milestone of 60 WISPA titles," said the world No1 and four-times world champion from Melbourne. "I'm thrilled to have achieved this here in Antibes and can now focus my attention on defending my World Open title and helping Australia regain the World Team Championships' title next month."

Fitz-Gerald's win stretches her unbeaten record to 59 matches since August last year.  It also marks her 30th successive victory in a final since claiming her 3rd World Open title in November 1998.

 
Fitz-Gerald 90 Up In Antibes
Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald strolled into her 90th WISPA World Tour final when she beat England's Fiona Geaves in straight games in the women's semi-finals in Antibes. The world No1 and four-times world champion from Melbourne will face her fourth successive English opponent, Linda Charman, while the men's final will feature unseeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier and England's 7th seed Nick Matthew.

Top seed Fitz-Gerald defeated third-seeded Geaves 9-4 9-2 9-2. Charman, the world No5 from Eastbourne in Sussex, also claimed her third successive straight games win in Antibes when she dismissed Australia's fifth seed Natalie Grinham 9-7 9-4 9-0 in the other semi-final. Victory in the final would realise Fitz-Gerald's second ambition for the year after winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal in July: Claiming her 60th WISPA World Tour title.

In the men's event, 19-year-old Gregory Gaultier survived an all-French battle with Jean-Michel Arcucci, beating his eighth-seeded Aix-en-Provence team-mate 15-10, 15-13, 12-15, 15-10 to reach his sixth PSA Tour final. His final opponent Nick Matthew is also former British Junior Open champion. The 22-year-old from Sheffield upset South Africa's fifth seed Rodney Durbach 15-12, 11-15, 15-11, 15-8 to reach his 10th PSA Tour final.

Upsets Rule In Antibes
Whilst the women's matches progressed virtually according to the seedings, the men's quarter-finals provided shocks in each case - with domestic hopes heightened by the certainty of a Frenchman in the final.

Unseeded Gregory Gaultier, the European Junior Champion from Aix-en-Provence, twice suppressed a fightback by sixth seed John Williams before eventually beating the Australian 15-13 5-15 15-14 6-15 15-12.

The 19-year-old world No37 now meets his French team-mate Jean-Michel Arcucci, the 8th seed who upset the fourth-seeded Englishman Peter Genever 15-9 15-5 15-13. Whilst the seedings suggest an Arcucci semi-final win, the 26-year-old (also from Aix-en-Provence) has slipped below Gaultier to 51 in the latest Dunlop PSA World Rankings.

The other men's semi-final will feature England's Nick Matthew, the 7th seed, and fifth-seeded South African Rodney Durbach. Former British Junior Open champion Matthew reached this stage without a ball being struck, after top-seeded Welshman David Evans withdrew from the event following an ankle injury sustained during his first round match. Durbach overcame England's Stephen Meads, the third seed, 15-9 12-15 15-13 15-12.

Australia's Natalie Grinham pulled off a minor upset in the women's quarter-finals. The 24-year-old world No14, seeded five, defeated England's fourth seed Suzanne Horner 9-3 7-9 9-0 9-1, and will now face her third English opponent Linda Charman, the No2 seed who dismissed Ireland's Madeline Perry 9-0 9-5 9-0.

Title favourite Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the world No1 and four-times world champion from Australia, cruised through to the last four with a straight games win over seventh seed Jenny Tranfield. The in-form Australian, who won gold in the Commonwealth Games in July and has not lost a match on the WISPA World Tour since August 2001 - and even a game since May - beat Tranfield 9-0 9-4 9-1. She now takes on another English woman Fiona Geaves, the third seed who ended French interest in the women's event with a 9-1 9-3 9-6 victory over unseeded Isabelle Stoehr.

GLORIOUS GAULTIER, SUPER STOEHR, EVANS EXITS ...
In a largely undramatic first round in Antibes there were only two upsets, but what upsets they were for the home fans.

The organisers must have winced when France's Gregory Gaultier, star of the tournament poster, was drawn against the Netherlands' second seed Tommy Berden in the first round.

Gaultier came good though, winning in four games on the all-glass court on the shores of the Mediterranean, and is joined by eight seed Jean-Michel Arcucci in the quarter-finals after Arcucci squeezed past qualifier Ben Garner 15-14 in the fifth.

After his victory over  Hadrian Stiff top seed David Evans was forced to withdraw with an ankle injury, granting Nick Matthew a bye into the semi-finals. This will be a bitter blow for the former British Open champion, who had failed to progress past the first round in any PSA tournament since January.

In the women's event Isabelle Stoehr scored a memorable victory over New Zealand's sixth seed Shelley Kitchen, to maintain French interest in both draws.

Salma Shabana made a welcome return to the WISPA tour following the birth of her first child, but was no match for England's second seed Linda Charman. Top seed Sarah Fitz-Gerald cruised past qualifier Vicky Lankester.

 
ENGLISH INVASION IN ANTIBES
England's James Willstrop led an English invasion in qualifying, marching into the French Open main draw by beating top seeded compatriot Scott Handley in the qualifying finals. Willstrop earns a match against third seed Stephen Meads in the first round. Other men's qualifiers were Hadrian Stiff, Ben Garner and Peter Pastijn, the Belgian putting out local favourite Laurent Elriani.

In the women's event Vicky Lankester continued her fine run, beating Pakistan champion Carla Khan in four. The English girl's reward is a match against world number one Sarah Fitz-Gerald in the first round. Other English qualifiers were Cheryl Beaumont and Jenny Duncalf, joined in the main event by Belgium's Kim Hannes who upset the USA's Shabana Khan. Senga Macfie's withdrawal gives Kate Allison a lucky loser spot.

Men's Qualifying Finals 10th Sep:
[5/8] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [1] Scott Handley (Eng) 17/15, 15/8, 12/15, 15/6
[3/4] Hadrian Stiff (Eng) bt [5/8] Jonathan Kemp (Eng)  15/6, 15/10, 15/4
[3/4] Ben Garner (Eng) bt Ben Howell (Eng)  15/14, 15/10, 15/10
Peter Pastijn (Bel) bt Laurent Elriani (Fra)  15/14, 6/15, 15/4, 15/6

Women's Qualifying Finals 10th Sep:
[8] Kim Hannes (Bel) bt [1] Shabana Khan (USA)  9/5, 9/1, 9/5
[6] Cheryl Beaumont (Eng) bt [4] Kate Allison (Eng)  7/9, 9/6, 9/5, 9/3
Vicky Lankester (Eng) bt Carla Khan (Pak)  9/2, 9/3, 4/9, 9/0
[5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [2] Wendy Maitland (Sco)  9/5, 9/5, 9/1

Men's qualifying round one:
[1] Scott Handley (Eng) bt Rodolphe Bigot (Fra)  15/8, 15/12, 15/7
[5/8] James Willstrop (Eng) bt John Rooney (Irl)  15/7, 10/15, 15/7, 15/9
[3/4] Hadrian Stiff (Eng) bt  Julien Balbo (Fra)  15/7, 15/7, 15/3
[5/8] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Andrew Whipp (Eng)  15/3, 13/15, 15/5, 15/8
Ben Howell (Eng) bt [5/8] Mark Heather (Eng)  15/6, 15/12, 5/15, 15/13
[3/4] Ben Garner (Eng) bt Romain Tenant (Fra)  15/13, 15/3, 15/9
Peter Pastijn (Bel) bt [5/8] Gavin Jones (Wal)  13/15, 15/12, 15/5, 15/10
Laurent Elriani (Fra) bt [2] Glenn Keenan (Aus)  15/9, 9/15, 10/15, 15/8, 15/14

Women's qualifying round one:
[1] Shabana Khan (USA) bt Dana Betts (USA)  9/3, 9/3, 9/2
[8] Kim Hannes (Bel) bt Laurence Bois (Fra)  9/0, 9/0, 9/3
[4] Kate Allison (Eng) bt Mylene Demuylder (Fra)  9/1, 9/1, 9/2
[6] Cheryl Beaumont (Eng) bt Corinne Castets (Fra)  9/4, 9/4, 9/2
Carla Khan (Pak) bt [7] Helen Easton (Eng)  9/6, 9/5, 3/9, 9/6
Vicky Lankester (Eng) bt [3] Janie Thacker (Eng)  10/8, 9/3, 9/5
[5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)  9/4, 1/9, 9/4, 2/9, 9/7
[2] Wendy Maitland (Sco) bt Karine Fouchet (Fra)  9/0, 9/0, 9/1

EVANS HEADS FRENCH OPEN DRAW
While most of the world's top fifteen head for Boston in September for the US Open, Wales' world number 14 David Evans has opted for the French Open, for which he is clear favourite, ranked some 17 places ahead of the second seed, Netherland's Tommy Berden.

When the French Open entered the PSA calendar as a Super Series event on the same dates as the established US Open, it seemed that the world's elite players would go to France. The collapse of sponsorship for the French event however, avoided a potentially damaging clash when major PSA tournaments are already thin on the ground.

Nevertheless, Evans will face stiff competition from a high quality field, with Gregory Gaultier particularly keen to progress, given his prominent position on the event poster!

FITZ-GERALD TOPS WOMEN'S SEEDS
The Women's event in Antibes features Sarah Fitz-Gerald, Linda Charman, Fiona Geaves and Suzanne Horner as top seeds.