4 février 2012 -
Finale : [1] Grégory Gaultier (Fra) bat [2] Karim Darwish (Egy)
(45mn)
G.Gaultier
11
11
11
K.Darwish
3
6
8
I
didn’t actually think I
was going to play this
well, since I have had
back spasms since I came
back from New York.
I want to become world
no 1 again, and I need
the motivation from the
crowd to get back to my
top form.
I have been fortunate to
have my physio with me
all along, he has done a
great job on me all week
long.
I also want to thank
Fredrik and his team,
the city of Linköping,
sponsors etc for making
sure that this
tournament grows every
year, which I hope it
will keep doing for many
years to come. I wish we
had a similar event in
France.
I wish you all the best
of luck and as last few
words I hope that
Karim’s home country of
Egypt soon will regain
some peace and calm.
3 février 2012 -
Demis :
[1] Grégory
Gaultier
bat
[3] Peter Barker(Eng)
11/1, 11/3, 11/2 (33mn)
"Very good match for
me and I felt very strong, despite having just arrived from New
York. I feel fit and physically strong and it shows in my game.
I hope the audience enjoyed the match and I'm really looking
forward to the final. "
3 février 2012 - Quart de finale [1] Grégory
Gaultierbat
Tom Richards (Eng)
11/6, 11/2, 11/5 (26m)
2 février 2012 - Premier Tour
[1] Grégory
Gaultier
bat Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
11/8, 11/3, 11/6 (49mn)
Mauvais départ de Greg, 4/0
Saurav... Tranquillement, Greg revient, 4/4. Puis prend
l'avantage, territorialement. Patient, relenteless, il fait
bosser l'Indien, et le sape.... Balle de jeu 10/6 pour
finalement conclure 11/8 en 25mn...
Dans le second, Greg récolte les fruits du travail produit dans
le 1er, 6/1 et prend facilement le jeu en 8 minutes, 11/3. Same
difference dans le dernier, 5/0.... 7/3... Saurav ne fait rien
de mal, mais n'a pas aujourd'hui les armes pour blesser le
Français...
ATCO PSA 2011 World Series Finals - Amr
Shabana v Grégory Gaultier
8 janvier 2012 : FINALE
Amr
Shabana (Egy)
bat
Grégory Gaultier (Fra)
6/11, 12/10, 11/7, 7/11, 11/8 (91m)
“Amr was the best player in the world a few
years ago and now I believe he is back.
“He looked very sharp today and beat the World No. 1, so I’ll have to be
at my best.”
7 janvier 2012 : Demi Finale
Grégory Gaultier
bat Karim Darwish
11/5, 11/5
World's best head for Queen's
The top eight points earners from the World Series events of 2011 are
invited to the World Series Finals, to be held for the third successive
year at London's prestigious Queen's Club.
PSA Men's Qualifiers:
1 James Willstrop (Eng) 525
2 LJ Anjema (Ned)
3. Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) 4. Grégory Gaultier (Fra) 335 5. Karim Darwish (Egy) 270
6. Amr Shabana (Egy) 265
7. Peter Barker (Eng) 240
8. Azlan Iskandar (Mas) 170
[3] James
Willstrop (Eng)
bat [5] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)
11/9, 11/9, 11/1 (67m)
19 novembre 2011
- Demi : [3] James
Willstrop (Eng) bat
[5] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)
I tried to do
what I could
today, but
honestly, I just
didn’t have
anything in the
legs. Mentally,
I tried to put,
to step up and
volley more, but
I was as flat as
it comes.
I guess the
difference of
time on court
yesterday made a
bit of a
difference, but
to be honest, I
think it’s more
the accumulation
of hard matches
for a few weeks.
But all credit
to James, he
played a perfect
game, and took
advantage of the
conditions…
19
novembre 2011 - Demi :
GREG, FLAT,
JAMES, CLEVER…
First game was 28m. With
a James as patient as
I’ve ever seen him, two
unforced errors in the
whole match. A
relentless James,
playing a devastating
mid pace where
everything or was
perfect length at the
back/corners, or
remarkable drop shots at
the front.
Not enough to score
quickly, but relentless
enough to sap Greg's
very very tired legs….
All credit to the
Frenchman, he dug in.
And went very deep to
try and fetch that
energy back. Even after
losing the 1st game. The
“Old Greg” would have
given up, threw away the
towel. “New Greg” never
game up. Even from 10/6
down, he clawed back to
9/10, to finally bow on
a tin 11/9…
James had spent only 27m
on court, and in that
second, it showed. He
was only too happy to
keep on working hard,
and twist and turn Greg.
Varying the pace, the
angles, he made more and
more damage. White as a
sheet, Greg kept James
in view, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7,
and clawed back from 7/9
to 9/9. But there again,
James gives it a big
push, and a backhand
boast and a shot that
clips the corner, James
is now 2/0.
In
the third, Greg never
saw the light, as he
didn’t hit the wall, he
actually was buried
alive in it. James,
again, patiently, made
sure he nailed the
coffin with a beautiful
accurate and lethal
squash…
18 novembre 2011
- Quarts :
[5] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra) bat
[1] Nick Matthew
(Eng)
7/11, 11/9,
13/11, 11/5
(90m)
Thing
is, after Qatar and the
World, that makes 11
matches in 3 weeks, and
when I arrived here, I
was flat as it comes. I
needed rest, rest and
rest, and easy training.
And I did struggle in
the first and second
round, but today, it was
just about fighting
spirit! My coach always
says to me, I’m allowed
to lose once in a while
against a better player,
but I’m forbidden to
lose without giving my
maximum.
I think we were both
tired today, everybody
knows that we were
playing in the final of
the World last week, and
that I lost. So today, I
was dying for a revenge…
However my body feels, I
really want to fight
till the end. I can feel
it in my eye, in my
body. I had it when I
was a kid, and then, I
lost it for a while, but
when I found myself
watching the others play
from my sofa on
PSASquashTV, I realise
how important it was for
me. And now, when I get
the opportunity to play
another tournament, I’m
enjoying every minute of
it.
In the first game, I
struggle on the court, I
didn’t play like the
others did on there, and
had only 20m practice
this morning, so I
really struggled to see
the ball for a game and
a half. He was playing
some boasts, and I
really couldn’t see them,
I didn’t move! They
changed the colour of
the court, it feels
really dark now, it was
not easy. I was
constantly late on the
ball
In the third, it was a
toss of a coin! I was
9/4 down, and I thought,
well, win or lose, I’m
just going to make him
work for it. And point
by point, I dug in. At
7/8, 8/9, I realised
that I could actually
win that game. And of
course, when I did, it
was a great advantage
for me, 2/1 up.
In
the 4th, I manage to
build a 3 4 points gap,
but at 8/4, he gave it a
big push, and I really
had to fight for each
and every point. It was
hurting, but I knew I
had to keep ahead.
I’ve watched James play
today, he looks sharp.
So now, no celebration,
just my normal routine,
to get ready for
tomorrow. I know James
didn’t have a long match
as Peter got injured, so,
it will be a bit of a
challenge… But then
again, I love
challenges…
18 novembre 2011 -
Quarts : [5]
Grégory Gaultier (Fra)
bat [1] Nick
Matthew (Eng)
7/11,
11/9, 13/11, 11/5 (90m)
17 novembre 2011
- second tour :
[5] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra) bat Omar
Mosaad (Egy)
11/6, 4/11,
11/4, 11/6 (68m)
15 novembre 2011
- premier tour :
[5] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra) bat
Julian
Illingworth
(Usa)
It’s my first match
after a week of rest and
quiet training, plus the
travelling here, so I
was not at my best. And
like after Qatar, the
first days after were
tough, the same here.
I cannot stress enough
how well Julian played,
I didn’t expect such a
performance from him, he
played very well, he
volleyed very well too,
took his chances too,
and I really had to dig
in and play very well to
beat him.
I was in and out
mentally, I was up 4/1,
5/1, but then would
relax too much, and he
didn’t give me any
points, I had to fight
for each rally, all the
points were extremely
disputed.
Still, I truly think
it’s a blessing in
disguise, as I could
have had an easy 25m
match, but that would
have not be constructive
for the rest of the
tournament. Instead,
playing against Julian
really woke me up, and
I’m really happy to have
had to play such a good
match.
6 Novembre -
FINALE :
[1] Nick Matthew
bat
[6] Grégory
Gaultier
6/11, 11/9,
11/6, 11/5 (92m)
I’m
leading 1/0, but
at the end of
the second,
there are two
three points at
the key moment
of the game
where I’m
extremely
disappointed
with the
referring. It
would have been
a massive
difference
between being
1/1, and being
2/0, you can
deal with the
fatigue in a
different way.
I’m extremely
disappointed, of
course, he
played very well,
but I’m
particularly
disappointed
with the video
refereeing. This
system has been
put in place to
support the
players and make
the referring
better and
fairer. But
today, it went
the complete
opposite way, we
just didn’t know
what was the
line that the
refs were
following
anymore, and how
to react to it.
And it’s not so
much a good or
bad decision
that was at
stake here, but
the consistency.
Refs can take a
bad decision,
that happens,
but then,
they’ve got to
stick to that
line. In this
case, I feel
they didn’t.
But I cannot
stress enough
how great Nick
played, I’ve
very
disappointed of
course, but I
will get to win
this tournament.
Shame, I was
playing well on
this tournament,
shame I had to
lose that way…
Greg
Gaultier - Nick Matthew
- James Willstrop
5
Novembre -
DEMI
:
[6] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)
bat
[4] James Willstrop
11/6, 11/8, 11/4 (64m)
les replays sur
I’m
happy with the result,
whether 3/0, 3/1, 3/2!
I’m happy I’ve won!
James and I have been
playing each other since
we were kids, well I was
that high, and he was
THAT high! We had a very
strong generation,
James, Karim, Nick, and
it’s nice to see that we
are still competing
today.
The first game was
pretty aggressive, but
normally, James is not
like that, and I’m not
like that either, so we
both relaxed in the
second, and I think the
quality of squash got
better then.
And at the start of the
third, I really pushed
and dug in to make it as
hard as possible, and
even when I was a few
points ahead, I didn’t
stop pushing, because he
is so good and it would
have been possible for
him to come back and
string a few points
together. So I tried and
forgot the score, and
work point after point.
I feel that my game was
in place today, nice
length, I volleyed a
lot, I was moving well,
and I had to, because
every time he was
getting to the front, I
was under a lot of
pressure. Basically, I
used the same tactic
than for Qatar, the same
dynamic, I just thought
the quality of the match
was better today.
When you reach the goal
you determined for
yourself, sometimes
people get stronger, it
helps them getting ever
further and gives them
the will to win, but in
my case, it had the
opposite effect. But now
I have matured, I’m
calmer on court I feel.
Is tomorrow a big
occasion? No, it’s just
another match. That’s
the way I’ve been taking
this tournament, one
match at a time,
although sometimes you
can’t help yourself
raising your arms in the
air and see you with the
trophy, but it’s only a
flash and it passes
quickly.
Nick has got an
advantage as he won it
last year, whereas I
went twice in the final,
but never won it. So, I
wish myself a lot of
luck for tomorrow
!
Richard Eaton: Gregory earns
chance number three
05-Nov,
Semi-Finals:
Gregory earns chance
number three
Richard Eaton
Gregory
Gaultier,
the former world
number one from
France, earned
another chance of
achieving his life’s
ambition when he
reached the World
Open final for the
third time.
The 28-year-old from
Aix-en-Provence
beat James
Willstrop,
last year’s World
Open runner-up from
England, by 11-6,
11-8, 11-4 with a
semi-final
performance which
suggested he may be
playing well enough
to atone for losses
in two previous
finals.
Gaultier was relaxed
and confident, his
movement was superb,
and he avoided the
clusters of errors
which occasionally
disfigure his
exceptional talent.
Only when Willstrop
led 6-2 early on did
it seem that the
Englishman’s long
reach and excellent
racket skills would
cause trouble. There
was also a brief
spell in the middle
of the second when
Willstrop fought
hard to get back on
terms, but
thereafter it was
steady progress for
Gaultier.
“It was a bit of a
fight in the first
game and then we
both relaxed,
because I don’t
think we want to be
aggressive on court
– it’s just a better
game,” Gaultier said.
“He’s not like that
and I don’t think
I’m like that,” he
added rather
mysteriously,
perhaps a reference
to suggestions that
a bit of sledging
had passed between
the two of them.
Asked
about his chances of
atoning for the five
match points which
got away against
David Palmer in the
2006 final in Giza,
and the straight
games loss to Amr
Shabana in the
following year’s
final, Gaultier
offered reasons for
being hopeful.
“I am quite mature
now, even if I am
28,” he claimed. “Is
this how old you
were when you were
world champion?” he
asked his
interviewer Vanessa
Atkinson,
the women’s World
Open winner in 2004.
“At 26, 27, 28,
everything comes
together,” Gaultier
went on. “With me,
mentally was how it
happened. I worked
with people, and I
have managed to stay
more calm on court.
“But of course I
talk a lot on court,
and this is my
character – you are
not going to change
someone like this.”
The first sign that
Gaultier was getting
on top came with a
sequence in which he
played a forehand
volley kill, a
forehand cut-off
volley winner, and
then a forehand
cross court length
winner, to advance
to a 7-5 lead.
Despite
a brief altercation
with the referee at
the end of that
first game, he was
soon motoring to
leads of 3-0 and 7-3
in the second game,
sometimes making
Willstrop twist and
turn uncomfortably.
Once Willstrop lost
his racket and fell
heavily and on
another occasion
both men fell and
ended sitting on the
court, looking at
each other,
eventually grinning.
After that
Willstrop’s
challenge began to
fade, and when
Gaultier clinched
the second game with
a drop shot to a
treacherously
clinging line, his
progress to victory
accelerated the
third.
Gaultier now plays Nick
Matthew,
the first Englishman
ever to win the
World Open title.
Matthew moved to
within one win of
retaining it when he
overcame Karim
Darwish, a
member of Egypt’s
world title winning
team, by 11-9, 11-9,
11-1.
“I
had a little bit of
luck to win the
first two games
narrowly like that,”
said the
Yorkshireman who
combined a supremely
disciplined
performance with the
courage to go for
openings when he had
carved them out. “I
feel like I have
done half the job,
but now feel I will
go into the final in
decent shape.”
Gaultier said of his
showdown with
Matthew: “I wish him
luck – but I wish
myself more luck,”
and then claimed: “I
made two finals
before, but I have
been taking it one
match at a time this
week and didn’t
think about the
title at all.”
Then
Gaultier paused,
thought, and changed
his mind: ”Sometimes
I see myself like
that,” he admitted,
gesturing as if to
hold up the trophy.
The
final match promised
much, and for the first
game it delivered as
Ramy Ashour and Grégory
Gaultier fought out a
typically high-paced
encounter with
spectacular shots,
retrieving, and the
crowd at the Luxor
Theatre were loving it.
At 8-all in the third
Gaultier took three in a
row, and the fact that
the Egyptian, who had
twice come from two
games down looking far
from fully fit, failed
to chase the final ball
sounded an ominous
warning.
The Frenchman dominated
the second, Ashour
competing half-heartedly,
and after a couple of
rallied in the third
Ramy bent down on his
knees, cried out in pain
and frustration, and
offered his hand to
Greg.
A sad end to
quarter-finals day, and
everyone wishes Ramy
well, not least his
opponent of tonight who
knows all about injury
problems and looked as
distraught at
proceedings as everyone
else.
3
Novembre -
troisième tour :
[6] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)
bat
[12] Laurens Jan Anjema
(Ned)
8/11, 5/11, 11/5, 11/2,
11/7
I
was a bit too passive at
the start, I was not
seeing the ball that
well, and I was just
playing mindless length,
length, and he took the
ascendant, he shined… So
at 2/0, Mathieu told me,
two choice, or you don’t
do anything and you go
home, or you hurt, dig
in, and no matter the
result, you try and
leave everything you can
on there. And that’s
what I did. I dug in,
went through the pain
barrier, I was more
aggressive, and it help
me to relax and let go…
The momentum changed…
There were a lot of
conditions to handle,
the crowd, etc, he
played and took his
chances, that’s the best
he played against me I
feel.
I’m sorry for the crowd,
I wish I could have play
somebody who would not
have put my body through
so much damage! I don’t
mind that the crowd
cheer for the other one,
we are used to it, but
what’s important is that
the crowd comes, and
cheers for squash! And I
hope they’ll come back
tomorrow and cheer for
me!!!!
What’s important is the
win, now, a good
recovery time, resting,
and tomorrow, I’ll be
ready…
[6] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)bat[12] Laurens Jan
Anjema (Ned)
1er Novembre - deuxième
tour :
[6] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)
bat
[Q] Cesar Salazar (Mex)
11/3,
11/9, 11/5 (49m)
He
was bound to be tired
from his game yesterday
against Adrian, so I
made sure that the first
game was really long,
with hard long rallies.
He plays a lot at the
front and counterattacks
really well, so I really
had to take it to him.
In the second, I was up
6/2 and he came back
right in, I had to make
sure I was going back to
basics, tight drives and
patience….
In the third, I speeded
up the pace and I could
see that he was starting
to really suffer
physically, so I kept
pushing but with a very
low percentage game I
didn’t want to reiterate
the previous game errors.
Still, he must be happy
with his tournament, he
qualified, and then went
pretty far in the
tournament, he must be
very proud.
1er novembre 2011 -
Second tour
:
[6] Grégory Gaultier bat
[Q] Cesar Salazar
11/3, 11/9, 11/5 (49m)
Dans le premier jeu,
Greg est en contrôle. Il
trouve des longueurs
parfaites qui empêche le
mexicain de jouer à
l'avant.
Dans le second jeu Greg
met moins de rythme et
ses longueurs sont moins
profondes que dans le
premier jeu. Il commet
en outre 5 fautes
directes, ce qui permet
à Salazar de recoller au
score pour revenir à
9/9. Greg l'emportera
tout de même 11/9, sans
avoir utilisé son amorti
de coup droit en dépit
d'ouvertures franches.
Dans le troisième jeu,
Greg remet plus de
rythme et retrouve sa
longueur de balle. Il
utilise maintenant toute
sa palette de coups et
Salazar peine
physiquement pour finir
le jeu au bord des
crampes.
Greg fait un match
solide, en étant très
relâché et prenant un
plaisir apparent à
jouer. Dès le début du
match Greg va contrôler
et le T et la cadence,
jouant très profond ce
qui empêche Bennett de
s’installer au milieu du
court.
Greg saura alterner les
coups longs avec des
frappes courtes et
amorties qui oblige son
adversaire à descendre
très bas pour défendre
et ce qui contribuera à
lui faire mal
physiquement.
Greg fait donc une
entrée tranquille dans
ce tournoi, ce qui est
de bonne augure pour la
suite.
[6] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra)
bat
[4] James Willstrop
(Eng)
11/8, 11/7, 2/11, 11/8
(70m)
We’ve been playing each
other since we are that
high, since we were
juniors, we had some
memorable battles. It’s
actually nice to see
each other back to the
final. He is just a
gentleman on court, such
a fair player, I have
tremendous respect for
him.
I remember when we play
the British Open Junior
final, we had an
unbelievable match for
the U19 title, and I won
12/10 in the fifth.
Right after the match,
he came to me and took
me back to the court,
that’s the memory I keep
from that final. We both
dreamed about our career,
and although on the way,
we had a bit of a
falling out, but now, I
feel the same way about
him than I did then, a
immense respect and
admiration for him.
Doha is my second home
now!!!!! Joke apart,
I’ve been coming here
since the age of 16 or
17, and I’ve seen all
the great players win
this title, so for me,
it’s like a dream come
true, especially as I
didn’t win a major event
for two years now.
20
octobre 2011 -
Demis
[6] Grégory Gaultier bat
[3] Karim
Darwish
11/8, 11/4, 11/1
(42m)
Karim
is an unbelievable
player, he is the double
defending champion,
maybe a bit of pressure
tonight. Whereas for me,
I was lucky enough to
have played Tarek last
night, so my speed was
up to date, so thanks
Tarek…
I was so comfortable on
there, I was happy to
play, so happy to play,
and I hope I can keep on
playing like that… I was
relaxed, I was moving
freely, I was enjoying
every second of my time
on there, and it’s such
a fantastic feeling when
everything you’ve been
working on suddenly
falls into place on D
day….
The first game was
really tough, I had to
dig in deep to win it,
and when I found myself
2/0 up, I just gave it a
huge push, trying to
prevent him to score at
all costs, really
working point, after
point, after point,
structuring ever rally,
When you are a top seed,
it’s tough, I have been
in that situation when I
was world number one,
and I didn’t handle it
that well then, but now,
I’m trying to get back
into the top ranking,
and for me, beating
Karim who is ahead of me
in the ranking is good
for my points. And it’s
a good win….
A lot of people came
tonight to support
Karim, but it doesn’t
matter really who you
come to support, as long
as you come to see
squash. Squash is a
fantastic sport to watch,
and thanks to your
support, we’ll hopefully
get into the Olympics…
19
octobre 2011 -
Quarts
[6] Grégory Gaultier bat
Tarek Momen
11/5, 11/8, 11/7 (65m)
I
think that if one could
measure the speed of
Tarek on the court, they
would find out he is
actually fast than I am!!
He is so talented, good
hands, feathery shots.
When he gets the ball to
the front, it’s so
difficult to retrieve
them, and any chance you
leave me, he kills the
ball…. He has done a
fantastic tournament, he
is young, and I’m sure
he’ll be threatening all
the top seeds on a
regular basis, me
included!
I like the video
reviewing, when you get
a good ref up there. You
know, when you are on
court, you are so
focused on your own game,
sometimes, you don’t see
clearly what’s going on,
so when I see the video,
and I realise I’m wrong,
I apologise to the ref.
But when I see I’m
right, I think the ref
should apologise to me!
Now, for the ball Tarek
thinks I’ve touched,
honestly, I didn’t feel
anything, and even when
I looked at the video, I
didn’t see the
trajectory of the ball
change whatsoever, or
the racquet touch the
ball. If I had, I would
have given the point up.
It was really not easy
tonight, I really had to
dig in and dig in, 3/0,
but 60m! He goes and
picks all the balls, I
was working extremely
hard to push and tire
him, but he didn’t! At
no time I saw him
getting tired, or
starting to make
unforced errors. He
virtually didn’t do any
at the front, and I
really had to push to my
maximum to win that one.
I was happy to take the
first, because even if
the score doesn’t show
it, it was a pretty
tough one. But I was
never comfortable on
there, even if I had a
few points cushion, he
was constantly trying to
come back, he never ever
let go, and was
constantly a threat.
18 octobre 2011
-
Deuxième Tour
[6]
Grégory
Gaultier
(Fra)
bat
[Q] Siddarth
Suchde (Ind)
11/3, 11/3, 11/8
(44m)
Sid had a
excellent tournament, he’s improved quite a lot recently,
and the hard work he is producing is starting to pay off.
Well done to him, and good luck for the rest of the season…
The
Indian looked a bit lost
at sea in the first two
games, but reassessed
very well in the third,
coping much better with
the angles and speed
that Greg was imposing
on there.
A few discussions with
the Ref from the
Frenchman, that proves
he’s well in his
tournament, and doesn’t
like to lose even one
point although leading
11/3, 11/3, 7/3… But I
guess that what makes
Champions, they just
hate losing…
Je suis en super forme, on s’est
entraîné avec Thierry, je tape bien la balle, j’ai de super
sensations. Le seul problème, c’est qu’on n’a pas pu s’entraîner sur
le court vitré, juste 20m ce matin, alors c’était un peu juste. Mais
bon, c’est pareil pour tout le monde.
C’est un court très froid, alors, si tu es bien en jambes, ça va,
mais pour trouver ses longueurs, il faut vraiment être parfait,
donc, c’est bien d’avoir joué aujourd’hui, demain, encore un peu
d’entraînement dessus, et ça ira…
Je suis bien affuté, bien en jambes, je me suis entraîné dur. Et
puis, je joue bien en ce moment, juste le problème de ne jouer que
Ramy dans mes tableaux, qui est le joueur en forme du moment…
"He started
slowly but
played well from
the second game.
I was
comfortable in
the first and up
to 6/2 in the
second but I
lost patience
and length, I
wanted to finish
it off too
quickly.
He deserved to
come back and
take the second,
so I was happy I
got back into my
game from the
middle of the
third and was
able to put more
into my shots.
"It was a good
game, I enjoyed
it ..."
20 septembre 2011
Premier Tour :
[6] Grégory
Gaultier
bat
Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
11/4,
11/5, 11/2 (47m)
"I've
been playing well since Germany, I've had some good results and
good wins. After a really good summer training I'm starting to
feel my shots coming in well now, it's all coming together and
I'm enjoying what I'm doing every day in training and in
matches.
"Saurav was fast today, he played much better than the last two
times we met. It's good to get a tough first match, you have to
be on your marks from the start rather than putting you on the
back foot.
"It was a good game, and I like this court - I've had some good
and some bad moments on it, but it rewards good squash and you
know that if you're moving well you can play well on this court.
"Daryl next - I've beaten him a couple of times but that doesn't
enter my mind. It's going to be a good match and I'm ready for
it.
"I
feel strong mentally and physically. I'm happy my bad period of
a couple of years ago is in the past, I'm just going on court to
enjoy every match, play well and have nor regrets. It's all
coming together at the moment and hopefully soon I'll be able to
win a big tournament. It's what we're all aiming for, there's a
lot of good players at the top of the game and I'm confident I
can compete with all of them.
[5] Grégory
Gaultier (Fra) bat
[4] James
Willstrop (Eng)
7/11, 12/10,
11/4, 11/5
“At the beginning it was
just torture for me – he made an unbelievable start and I couldn’t do
anything.”
“I just told myself to forget about it and fight hard. Today was not a
day for accuracy from me, so I thought to myself ‘try and raise the pace
and things may work out your way’.”
Grégory Gaultier bat
Thierry Lincou
12/10 11/6 8/11 11/9
« Je suis ravi d’avoir gagné cette 1ère édition du Squash Pro. En
tout cas, cette semaine à été excellente, nous avons pu mélanger
squash, activités, visites.
Merci à l’organisation et au club de l’Olympique qui nous a permis
de nous entrainer toute la semaine et à tout ce public qui est venu
tout au long de la semaine. Nous avons essayé de montrer ce que nous
savions faire et nous nous sommes vraiment fait plaisir, j’espère
que les gens auront apprécié.
On vient d'arriver à Canberra, pas la même température que Nouméa !
Je vais essayer de faire mieux que l’année dernière où j’avais
atteint les demis, puis ensuite, ce sera les Monde avec cette année
une équipe un peu new look.
je voulais vraiment remercier les calédoniens pour cette semaine,
ils se sont occupés de nous au top, vraiment chouchoutés
on a eu le temps de voir un peu du pays, c'était sympa de voir leur
paradis, on s'est entraîné aussi dans leur nouvelles installations
avant le PSA d'Australie,
on a eu beaucoup de plaisir à jouer et partagé des bons moments.
Un grand merci aux caldoches et bon courage à eux pour les Jeux du
Pacifique
Merci à tous et rendez vous l’année prochaine pour le Squash Pro
2... »
Grégory Gaultier
bat Fabian Dinh
11/4
11/8 12/10
« C’est super de
pouvoir faire
des matches en
toute
décontraction en
faisant plaisir
au public.
Demain ca va
être un bon test
contre Nico,
L’Australian
Open est la
semaine
prochaine et
nous devons déjà
nous mettre dans
le rythme. On
jouera le jeu à
fond demain. »
Je suis bien sur satisfait de ma semaine sachant que je gagne le
tournoi. Je n'ai pas joué un super squash cette semaine mais il y a
une nette amélioration sur le plan technique et tactique sur le
dernier match.
Par contre, très bien physiquement, pourtant, les conditions étaient
difficiles, chaud et humide.
J'ai deux semaines pour continuer ma prépa avant l'Australie et
peaufiner mon jeu.
Je tiens a remercier l'organisation ainsi que les sponsors de cet
évènement
ainsi que mes entraineurs, mespartenaires d'entrainements et mes
sponsors pour leur soutien.
Je souhaite dédier cette victoire à Michèle Lecomte et pense à Fred
et Alex.
Greg est montée en
puissance au fur et à
mesure de ses matches.
Aamir Atlas Khan,
de son côté, était
pourtant très affuté sur
ce tournoi et dès le 1er
jeu, il a montré qu'il y
croyait et qu'il
comptait bien ne rien
lâcher...
Greg a commencé
prudemment en mettant
tout de même du rythme
mais en jouant moins
devant par rapport à ses
premiers matches. Les
échanges étaient longs
et les deux joueurs se
sont tenus jusqu'à la
fin du jeu. C'est Aamir
qui attaquait le plus,
poussant Greg a
rattraper des balles
"impossibles" dans les 4
coins. Le français lui a
montré qu'il était en
jambes pour cette
reprise avec des
démarrages explosifs à
couper le souffle...
En fin de jeu, c'est
Greg qui attaque un peu
plus et termine les
points plus facilement.
Il remporte un jeu très
serré mais qui a marqué
sûrement le pakistanais.
Dans les deux
autres jeux il
n'ya quasiment
plus de match.
Greg continue de
mettre du rythme
et attaque plus
à l'avant du
court. Le
pakistanais
ouvre plus le
court et donne
des
opportunités.
Greg prend
beaucoup
d'avance au
score et gère
les deux fins de
jeu
tranquillement.
Une belle
victoire pour
Greg dans ce
tournoi, sans
perdre un jeu.
Il a pris un peu
de rythme avant
l'échéance
Australienne. Il
en prendra
encore chez nos
amis
Calédoniens...
Philippe
Signoret
23 juillet 2011 -
Finales: [1] Grégory Gaultier bat
Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak)
11/8,
11/3, 11/3 (43mn)
22 juillet 2011
- Demis
Finales :
[1] Grégory
Gaultier bat [Q]
Alan Clyne (Sco)
11/5,
11/5, 11/1 (41m)
21
juillet 2011 - Quarts de finale
[1] Grégory Gaultier bat Ong Beng
Hee
12/10, 11/2, 11/7 (54mn)
Greg a eu du mal au 1er
jeu de son match face à
un Hong Beng Hee qui
jouait à un très bon
niveau.
Le français avec une
nouvelle raquette qu'il
ne maîtrise pas encore
était moins précis qu'à
son habitude sur son jeu
de préparation. Surtout
en revers ou le
Malaisien gagnait de
nombreux points en
collant la balle en fond
de court.
Greg jouait aussi trop
court en cherchant à
descendre la balle trop
souvent avec un Hong
Beng Hee qui contrôlait
très bien le court sur
la ligne médiane. Greg
s'arrache pour gagner ce
1er jeu au Tie break...
Dans le 2ème jeu le
malaisien est un peu
fatigué mais surtout
Greg alterne mieux ses
longueurs et est
beaucoup plus percutant
en attaque. Le français
joue plus tôt et prend
plus de volée. Le jeu
est facilement gagné par
Greg.
Dans le 3ème Beng Hee
semble vraiment fatigué
par le rythme mis par
Greg. Il n'est plus trop
dedans jusqu'au moment
où Greg se relâche un
peu en commettant
quelques fautes. Greg
assure cependant
l'essentiel en
remportant le 3ème et
dernier jeu.
Il y a eu de beaux
échanges dans un match
pas facile pour Greg
devant un malaisien sur
motivé devant son
public...