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 Saturday. The 28-year-old from Aix-en-Provence beat James Willstrop, last year’s World Open runner-up from England, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 with a semi-final performance which suggested he is playing well enough to atone for losses in two previous finals. Gaultier appeared relaxed and confident, his movement was superb, and he avoided any clusters of errors which occasionally disfigure his great talent. Only when Willstrop led 6-2 early on did it seem that his 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 mysteriously, perhaps a reference to the sledging which Willstrop later alleged had passed between them.
Asked about his chances of atoning for the five match points he missed against David Palmer in the 2006 final in Giza, and the straight games loss to Amr Shabana in the following year’s final, Gaultier gave reasons for being hopeful.
“I am quite mature now, even if I am 28,” he claimed. “Is this when you were world champion?” he asked his interview Vanessa Atkinsoner, the winner of the women’s World Open seven years ago.
“At 26, 27, 28, everything comes together. 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 signs that Gaultier was getting on top happened when he played a forehand volley kill, followed by a forehand cut-off volley, and then a forehand cross court length winner, to hurry 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 the tall 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, staring 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, it became mostly one way traffic in the third.
