28/09/2008
INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE
Dream Win For Gaultier In Paris
Internationaux
de France
Paris, 22-27 Sep, $64k |
Round One
24-Sep |
Quarters
25-Sep |
Semis
26-Sep |
Final
27-Sep |
[1] Gregory Gaultier
(Fra)
11/4, 11/9, 11/7 (30m)
[Q] Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) |
Gregory Gaultier
11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (44m)
Renan Lavigne |
Gregory Gaultier
11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (55m)
Nick Matthew |
Gregory Gaultier
11-4, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5
(64m)
Borja Golan |
[8] Renan Lavigne
(Fra)
12/10, 11/9, 11/2 (35m)
Gregoire Marche (Fra) |
[4] Nick Matthew (Eng)
10/12, 11/3, 11/9, 11/5 (67m)
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) |
Nick Matthew
11-7, 11-2, 11-5 (43m)
Laurens Jan Anjema |
[5] Laurens Jan Anjema
(Ned)
11/9, 8/11, 11/7, 11/6 (55m)
[Q] Tom Richards (Eng) |
Jonathan Kemp (Egy)
6/11, 11/6, 11/8, 8/11, 13/11 (68m)
[6] Borja Golan (Esp) |
Borja Golan
11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9 (85m)
Thierry Lincou |
Borja Golan
12-10, 6-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-8 (71m)
James Willstrop |
[Q] Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
11/2, 11/5, 11/9 (35m)
[3] Thierry Lincou (Fra) |
Joey Barrington (Eng)
11/9, 4/11, 11/9, 11/7 (68m)
[7] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) |
Joey Barrington
13-11, 11-8, 11-6 (47m)
James Willstrop |
[Q] Chris Ryder (Eng)
10/12, 11/9, 3/11, 11/5, 11/4 (48m)
[2] James Willstrop (Eng) |
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23 Sep,
Qualifying Finals :
Chris Ryder
(Eng) bt Joan Lezaud (Fra)
11/4, 11/6, 11/6 (43m)
Tom Richards (Eng) btJulien Balbo (Fra)
9/11, 6/11, 11/2, 11/6, 11/7 (74m)
Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
11/3, 11/7, 11/7 (50m)
Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) bt Mark Krajcsak (Hun)
13/11, 11/2, 8/11, 10/12, 11/8 (125m)
22 Sep, Qualifying
Round One :
Chris Ryder
(Eng) bt Yann Perrin (Fra)
6/11, 11/6, 11/2, 12/10 (65m)
Joan Lezaud (Fra) bt Jan Koukal (Cze)
14/12, 11/9, 11/8 (54m)
Julien Balbo (Fra) bt Bradley Hindle (Aus)
11/7, 13/11, 11/4 (46m)
Tom Richards (Eng) bt Romain Tenant (Fra)
11/9, 14/12, 11/3 (39m)
Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) bt Dylan Bennett
(Ned)
11/13, 11/9, 11/6, 11/5 (62m)
Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt Jesse Engelbrecht (Rsa)
11/8, 7/11, 9/11, 11/3, 11/9 (68m)
Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas)
11/9, 11/9, 11/6 (46m)
Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) bt Fabien Verseille (Fra)
11/9, 11/7, 12/14, 11/5 (84m)
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Dream Win For
Gaultier In Paris
 France's
Gregory Gaultier (left in red) provided the
dream outcome for the organisers of the first major
squash championship to be held in Paris since
1995 when he beat surprise Spanish opponent Borja
Golan in the final of the Internationaux de
France, the $62,000 5-star PSA Tour
event at Stade Charlety.
Perhaps it was one
match too far for underdog Golan, the sixth seed
from Santiago who claimed two of the biggest scalps
of his life when he beat third seed Thierry
Lincou and second seed James Willstrop to
reach the Paris climax.
But it was a proud
Gaultier who lifted the Guy Laroche trophy after his
11-4, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5 final victory in 64 minutes -
his longest match of the tournament.
"I didn't expect to
play Borja, I prepared myself for Thierry or James,
so I had to stay vigilant at all times, and never to
relax, as he was seizing all the opportunities," the
25-year-old top seed from Aix-en-Provence said
afterwards.
"I was dead from my
match with Nick (Matthew) yesterday - the efforts I
had to produce to beat him emptied me of most of my
resources, and I just couldn't put any pace on the
ball.
"I'm so happy that
the Federation had put so many efforts into this
event, and I hope that we'll play again here next
year, and I hope that we'll have more of the top 10.
This year, we were lucky enough to have four out of
10, but it would be nice to have all the best
players next time," added Gaultier, now winner of 13
PSA Tour titles.
Golan was proud of
his achievements in Paris: "Sometimes, you play
squash with your head, and sometimes with your
heart. I think that today I played too much with my
heart, and not enough with my head! And Greg played
just too well today, he played at a different level,
I tried my best, but he was faster than I was, he
was more accurate, and that made the difference.
"This week has been
just incredible - even in my dreams I didn't imagine
such a tournament for me. I guess it must the reward
for years of hard training - but beating Thierry and
James, two idols of mine, is just a dream. And the
atmosphere here, it was just incredible for a squash
player. I'm so happy, so proud to be here."
Borja Battles Into
Paris Final
 Borja
Golan
(left) kept up his giant-killing run in the
Internationaux de France when he battled for 71
minutes to beat world number three James
Willstrop to reach the final of the $62,000
5-star PSA Tour event in Paris.
The sixth-seeded
Spaniard will face local favourite Gregory
Gaultier in the climax of the first major squash
championship to be held in the French capital since
1995. In a repeat of the final of the last
Internationaux de France, in Antibes in 2002, the
Frenchman toppled Englishman Nick Matthew in
straight games.
Golan, the
25-year-old world No23 from Santiago DC, upset
France's former world number one Thierry Lincou
for the first time in the previous round -
describing it as "the best win of my career".
The Spaniard
survived two tie-break games as he defeated
Willstrop, the second seed, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10,
5-11, 11-8.
"I think that,
without a doubt, this is the best tournament, and
the best performance I ever did in my life," Golan
explained afterwards. "And I've got a lot of hopes
for tomorrow's match against Greg.
"Tonight, I tried to
keep James under pressure - like I did yesterday
with Thierry - but by playing more in the front that
I did against Thierry, because I knew that James was
struggling with his injury, and that he had problem
moving to the front to get my drop shots," added
Golan - now in the 23rd PSA Tour final of his
career, and the fourth this year.
Willstrop, playing
his first tournament since sustaining an ankle
injury in training, refused to blame his setback:
"My ankle can't be an issue, no excuses," said the
25-year-old England number one.
"This was a great
match, a really good match. Borja has improved a
lot, and I'm happy to have played such a match. He
played really well."
In their first
meeting since Gaultier (right) played stunning
squash to put out Matthew in
December's World Open final in Bermuda, the
25-year-old from Aix-en-Provence was again in
impressive form, beating the fourth seed from
Sheffield 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.
"What made the
difference today was that Greg was more mentally
tuned in," said Matthew, who underwent shoulder
surgery in January. "This was definitely my first
big match of the year, and I felt really like a
beginner player coming to his first semi-final!
"This was a great
experience for me, it's all in the head, as we all
know, and mentally today, I was up and down."
Gaultier, winner of
the ATCO Super Series Finals title for the
first time this year, is celebrating the 28th Tour
final appearance of his career.
Golan Reaches New
Heights In Paris
 In
what he described as "the best win of my career",
Spaniard Borja Golan (left background) upset
local hero Thierry Lincou in a dramatic
five-game encounter in the Internationaux de
France to reach the semi-finals of the $62,000
5-star PSA Tour event in Paris.
Golan, the sixth seed from Santiago DC, will now
face England's second seed James Willstrop in
one semi-final, while local interest in the event
will now be led exclusively by Gregory Gaultier
in the other, where the top seed takes on Englishman
Nick Matthew, the fourth seed.
The final match of the day in the first major squash
championship to be held in the French capital since
1995 saw third seed Lincou 4-7 down in the deciding
game as underdog Golan looked the likely shock
winner.
But, to the delight of the packed partisan crowd at
Stade Charlety, Lincou won five points in a row to
put the former world number one from Marseille back
on track.
Then, match-ball down, the Frenchman hit the ball
back at himself - and Golan celebrated his golden
success.
"Right now, I feel nothing - this is the best win of
my career. Sometimes, things are actually
possible," exclaimed the 25-year-old Spanish number
one.
"I really tried to put him under pressure with my
volleying, cross-courting a lot. But, most of all, I
concentrated on my length - because with Thierry, if
your length is not perfect, he volleys everything.
So first, I was thinking about perfect length, and
then, I tried and attacked more than I normally do.
"This is an incredible feeling - it's like a dream
come true. But also, I know that he lost here, in
front of his home crowd, and that I feel for him, I
know what it is to lose when you are home, and he
must be feeling terrible," added Golan.
The ten times French National champion clearly felt
under pressure: "I was far too stressed, the
expectations from everybody, and I so wanted to do
well. It's a shame, because yesterday I was feeling
really good, and today too I thought, and I really
wanted to go to the end," explained Lincou.
"And that desire to please people, to respond to
their expectations. I have the feeling I didn't show
enough tonight. Borja didn't put a foot wrong the
whole match. He was hungrier than me for victory."
In a close encounter earlier in the day, James
Willstrop beat England team-mate Joey Barrington
13-11, 11-8, 11-6 - and is now one match away from
his seventh final in eight successive PSA Tour
ranking events.
An all-French clash saw Gregory Gaultier prevail
11-5, 11-4, 11-7 over eighth seed Renan Lavigne
to set up the predicted semi-final against English
rival Nick Matthew, the fourth seed who beat
Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, the No5 seed,
11-7, 11-2, 11-5.
Barrington Bursts
Into Paris Quarters
England’s Joey Barrington pulled off the only
surprise on the opening day of main draw action in
the Internationaux de France when he upset
Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the seventh seed from
Colombia, to reach the quarter-finals of the $62,000
5-star PSA Tour event in Paris.
With three Frenchmen already through to the last
eight of the first major squash championship to be
held in the French capital since 1995, Barrington’s
unexpected success also brings the English
quarter-final count to three – and both rival
nationalities are certain to feature in the
semi-finals!
Barrington, eight places below the Colombian in the
world rankings, recovered from losing the second
game to beat the new world No20 11-9, 4-11, 11-9,
11-7 in 68 minutes.
The 28-year-old from Somerset will now face England
team-mate James Willstrop for a place in the
last four. Willstrop, glad to be back on the Tour
after sustaining an ankle injury in training, twice
had to come back from behind before claiming a
10-12, 11-9, 3-11, 11-5, 11-4 victory over English
qualifier Chris Ryder, the former World
University champion from Wolverhampton.
 Favourite
Gregory Gaultier (left) delighted the local
crowds with an 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 win in just 30
minutes over Aaron Frankcomb, the Australian
who 24 hours earlier survived the longest match
recorded on the PSA Tour this year to win his
qualifying final in 125 minutes!
World No2 Gaultier, from Aix-en-Provence, now takes
on fellow countryman Renan Lavigne. In a
battle between the oldest and youngest players in
the draw, 33-year-old Lavigne took 35 minutes to
overcome 18-year-old Gregoire Marche, the
European Junior Champion, 12-10, 11-9, 11-2.
French Fried In Paris
All three local bids for success in the qualifying finals of the
Internationaux de France failed as two Englishmen, one
Indian and an Australian joined the main draw of the $62,000
5-star PSA Tour event in Paris - the first major
squash championship to be held in the French capital since 1995.
England’s Chris Ryder and Tom Richards were the
first to make the opening round of the Gallic equivalent of the
British Open – and both overcame French opposition.
Ryder, from Wolverhampton, beat Joan Lezaud 11-4, 11-6,
11-6, while Richards, from Surrey, had to fight back from two
games down to topple Julien Balbo 9-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-6,
11-7 in 74 minutes.
Ryder will now meet compatriot James Willstrop, the
second seed from Yorkshire who is making his first PSA Tour
appearance since May after recovering from an ankle injury.
But in the longest match recorded on the PSA Tour this year,
Australia’s Aaron Frankcomb battled for 125 minutes to
overcome the number one Hungarian Mark Krajcsak 13-11,
11-2, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8.
The 23-year-old from Hobart now takes on Gregory Gaultier,
the French number one who is seeded to win his first Tour title
on home soil since claiming the French Open crown in
Antibes exactly six years ago.
France’s last hope for success in the Internationaux qualifiers
was Mathieu Castagnet. But the 21-year-old from Le Mans
went down 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 to four-time Indian champion
Saurav Ghosal, surprise winner of the Ornano
International Open title in the French city of Bordeaux
earlier in the month.
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