ATCO Super Series Squash Finals, Broadgate Arena, London, England

Final:

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [1] Amr Shabana (EGY)           11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (51m)

     Third place play-off:

[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS)              11-8, 7-11, 11-8 (32m)

Gregory Gaultier Wins Maiden
Super Series Finals Title

France's Gregory Gaultier secured the ATCO Super Series Finals – London 2008 title for the first time after beating Egypt's top seed Amr Shabana in straight games in the final of the flagship PSA Tour squash event at the Broadgate Arena in the city of London.

The resounding 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 victory in 51 minutes ended a four-match winning Tour run by the world number one over Gaultier, the world number two - but extends the Frenchman's career head-to-head record over his close rival to 9/7.

"I was very relaxed tonight, calm and serene," Gaultier told the official website www.superseriesfinals.net later.  "I've been working on a lot of things recently, and it's starting to work.

"Thanks to Shabana for such a great match.  He is such a great champion and a role model for all of us.  Without him I wouldn't improve, as he is pushing me to get better," added the 25-year-old from Aix-en-Provence.

The victory marks Gaultier's 12th PSA Tour title - and his second in a row in England after becoming the first Frenchman to claim the British Open trophy last September.

In the best-of-three-games play-off for third place, world No5 Thierry Lincou made it a French double when he beat Australian David Palmer 11-8, 7-11, 11-8.  It was a win which takes Lincou's career head-to-head tally over the new British Open champion to 11/10.

Official website:  www.superseriesfinals.net

Semi-finals:

[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS)       11-3, 11-6, 11-9 (41m)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [5] Thierry Lincou (FRA)  11-7, 11-10 (2-0), 10-11 (1-3), 11-9 (65m)

    Fifth place play-off:

[7] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [6] Wael El Hindi (EGY)                 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)

    Seventh place play-off:

[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)         11-7, 11-10 (3-1) (23m)

Top Seeds Shabana & Gaultier
To Contest Super Series Finals Final

The world's top two players will contest the climax of the ATCO Super Series Finals – London 2008 after Amr Shabana, the world number one from Egypt, and Gregory Gaultier, the world No2 from France, prevailed in the semi-finals of the flagship PSA Tour squash event at the Broadgate Arena in the city of London.

In the first semi-final, 25-year-old Gaultier defeated compatriot and former world number one Thierry Lincou 11-7, 11-10 (2-0), 10-11 (1-3), 11-9 in a closely-contested hour-long battle.

"It’s so hard to play Thierry, who is like my big brother," Gaultier told the official website www.superseriesfinals.net later. 

"It was a very tough match tonight - but like Thierry always says, what happens on the court stays on the court, and I hope that in a few hours, tomorrow, we’ll be friends as ever," explained Gaultier, now in the final for the second time in only his second appearance in the event.

In the second semi, top seed Shabana secured his place in the prestigious final for the first time with a high quality 41-minute 11-3, 11-6, 11-9 win over David Palmer, the Australian who last week won his fourth British Open title.

"David is one of the best players ever - he is twice world champion and four times British Open champion, so you know what you are going to get," said the 28-year-old from Cairo.  "He beat me in the British Open, so I wanted to make sure that wouldn’t happen again tonight."

In the opening match of the evening, England’s James Willstrop scored an 11-7, 11-10 (3-1) victory over Malaysian Ong Beng Hee in the best-of-three-games play-off for seventh place.

England’s Lee Beachill defeated Egypt’s Wael El Hindi 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 to claim fifth place.

Official site:  www.superseriesfinals.net

3^rd pool round:

    Prince Group

[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [7] Lee Beachill (ENG)          7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (55m)

[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [1] Amr Shabana (EGY)      11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (26m)

    ATCO Group

[6] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)        11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (32m)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS)    6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 10-11 (1-3), 11-9 (58m)

Lincou Earns Last Semi-Final Slot
In Super Series Finals

France's fifth seed Thierry Lincou claimed the last place in the semi-finals of the ATCO Super Series Finals – London 2008 after recovering from a game down to beat England's Lee Beachill in the final qualifying round of the flagship PSA Tour squash event at the Broadgate Arena in the city of London.

With Egypt's world number one Amr Shabana, Australia's British Open champion David Palmer, and last year's runner-up Gregory Gaultier already assured of places in the last four play-offs, the Anglo/French clash - a repeat of the 2004 World Open final - was set to complete the line-up.

Fired up by his four-game defeat by Shabana 24 hours earlier, Lincou battled to a 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 win over seventh seed and fellow former world number one Beachill in 55 minutes.

"It's never easy to play against Lee," Lincou told the official website www.superseriesfinals.net .  "We are from the same generation; the same age - both over 30; and we've been both number ones roughly at the same time.  It's a match within a match every time, never easy, never ever easy.

"And we are both daddies!  I think that our return of form also comes from the fact that we are happy, that we are enjoying life, enjoying our squash, and that we realise how lucky we are to be doing what we are doing," explained the 32-year-old from Marseille who won the title in 2004 and is appearing in the event for the seventh successive year.

In the opening match of the evening, Egypt’s Wael El Hindi defeated Ong Beng Hee 11-7, 11-4, 11-6.  It was El Hindi's first victory over the Malaysian after seven successive defeats since the pair's first meeting in the 1998 World Junior Championship final in the USA!

Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the world No2, secured his status as the only unbeaten player in the eight-man event after securing a dramatic 58-minute 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 10-11 (1-3), 11-9 victory over Australian David Palmer.

England’s James Willstrop made up for the two earlier losses to Lincou and Beachill by scoring a consolation 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 victory over favourite Amr Shabana, the world champion.

Semi-finals line-up:

[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [3] David Palmer (AUS)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [5] Thierry Lincou (FRA)

   Fifth place play-off:

[6] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v [7] Lee Beachill (ENG)

   Seventh place play-off:

[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)

^2nd pool round:

    Prince Group

[7] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [4] James Willstrop (ENG)             11-10 (3-1), 11-5, 11-5 (40m)

[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [5] Thierry Lincou (FRA)               7-11, 11-5, 11-10 (2-0), 11-2 (47m)

    ATCO Group

[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)              11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (42m)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [6] Wael El Hindi (EGY)          11-10 (3-1), 11-7, 11-6 (52m)

Palmer Powers On In Super Series Finals In London

Maintaining the form which saw the 31-year-old Australian take his fourth British Open crown last week, the rejuvenated David Palmer made sure of a place in the semi-finals of the ATCO Super Series Finals – London 2008 when he beat Malaysian Ong Beng Hee in the second pool round of the flagship PSA Tour squash event at the Broadgate Arena in the city of London.

"Beng Hee is an attacker, and he gets pretty confident if he gets in front, so I tried to keep on top of him," third seed Palmer told the official website www.superseriesfinals.net after his 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 win in 42 minutes.  "Last night against Wael (El Hindi) was a good win, and I'm very happy about my win against Beng Hee - even if it was not the best of matches:  a win is a win!"

In the other qualifying match in the ATCO Group, second seed Gregory Gaultier also secured his second victory with an 11-10 (3-1), 11-7, 11-6 win over Egypt's sixth seed Wael El Hindi.

There was Egyptian success, however, in the Prince Group where favourite Amr Shabana recovered from a game down to beat Frenchman Thierry Lincou 7-11, 11-5, 11-10 (2-0), 11-2.  With the pair's career head-to-head tally poised at 9-9 before the match, the victory took world number one Shabana ahead of the former world number one from Marseille for the first time!

After suffering a problem with his right leg 24 hours earlier in his match against Lincou, James Willstrop was back in action in the other Prince Group match - an all-English affair against his Pontefract club and England team-mate Lee Beachill. 

Seeded seven, and a late-comer to the event after replacing the injured defending champion Ramy Ashour, Beachill upset Willstrop 11-10 (3-1), 11-5, 11-5 to end a four-match losing streak to his fourth-seeded training partner.

"That was awful," confessed Beachill, a former world number one, afterwards.  "Normally, we play some high quality matches, but knowing that he had a bit of a niggle made it very difficult. And until the start of the afternoon, I didn't know who I was going to play, to be honest."

After intense physio treatment since his earlier match, Willstrop was glad to be continuing in the event:  "Last night, after playing Thierry I really thought I'd have to pull out, but I really want to play here.  There is such a buzz, so tonight, I was really happy to be able to get back on court, and I hope the physios can get me through the rest of the week," said the world number three.

3^rd pool round line-up:

    Prince Group

[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v [7] Lee Beachill (ENG)

[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [4] James Willstrop (ENG)

    ATCO Group

[6] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [3] David Palmer (AUS)

1st pool round:

    Prince Group

[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [4] James Willstrop (ENG)         11-6, 11-4, 11-2 (37m)

[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [7] Lee Beachill (ENG)                  11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-6 (41m)

    ATCO Group

[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [6] Wael El Hindi (EGY)               11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 (64m)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)         11-10 (2-0), 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 (53m)

Willstrop Downed In Super Series Finals Opener

Home hopes of success in the ATCO Super Series Finals – London 2008 took a knock on the opening day when fourth-seeded Englishman James Willstrop went down in straight games to France's fifth seed Thierry Lincou in the first Pool round of the flagship PSA Tour squash event at the Broadgate Arena in the city of London.

Just a week after losing a memorable British Open final to Australian David Palmer, world No3 Willstrop lost 11-6, 11-4, 11-2 to the world No5 in just 37 minutes.

In contrast to his sensational performance seven days earlier in Liverpool - where he held two match balls before losing to Palmer in a 111-minute marathon - the Yorkshireman was clearly struggling with his movement in London, and called for Physio treatment to his right leg after the first game.

"We had to finish the match, but it was obvious he couldn't move," added the 32-year-old from Marseille after avenging his straight games loss to Willstrop in the British Open semi-finals.

There was British disappointment in the final match of the evening in the Prince Group when Amr Shabana, the world No1 and world champion from Egypt, overcame spirited resistance from England’s former world No1 Lee Beachill before taking the match 11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-6.

Newly crowned British Open champion David Palmer recorded an impressive 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 win over Egyptian Wael El Hindi in his opening round match in the ATCO Group on the all-glass court at the Broadgate Arena.

In the third match of the evening, second-seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier defeated Malaysian Ong Beng Hee - a late replacement for the defending champion Ramy Ashour of Egypt - 11-10 (2-0), 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 in 53 minutes.

2nd pool round line-up:
 

    Prince Group

[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v [7] Lee Beachill (ENG)

[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [5] Thierry Lincou (FRA)

    ATCO Group

[3] David Palmer (AUS) v [8] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [6] Wael El Hindi (EGY)