Gaultier a Deserved Victor - Despite Refereeing    

Gregory Gaultier - Victorious in the US Open Tonight. (photo © Debra Tessier )

Gregory Gaultier capped the best week of his career today when he beat the world number one  3/1 in a 63  minute match that again ended with some controversy. In the space of three days he has beaten Amr Shabana, David Palmer and Thierry Lincou, who are ranked  1, 2 and 3 respectively. Has this sort of streak ever happened before? I doubt it.

Tonight Gaultier played clever,  almost error free squash and frustrated Shabana for much of the match with near perfect length and  tight rails. To rub salt into the wound his forehand was a lethal mixture of straight nicks and low cross-court drives that always seemed to surprise Shabana.  Certainly it was Gaultier who came out of the blocks fastest snapping at the ball and relishing Shabana’s high tight shots on the right wall, constantly  belting them low,  just above the tin to keep Shabana hopping. The Egyptian seemed a little slow  and lacking in determination. He was also error prone and five errors  contributed to Gaultier’s winning the first game 11-5.

Gaultier was confident and aggressive.  Shabana realized he had to do some serious running to get back into the match.  But in the second he hit three errors on shots  that are normally his bread and butter: he was still far from settled and again found himself trailing 3-6.  But then on the next rally he reached high and hit one of his specialties, the slam-dunk into the nick. It was the success he needed. Next came a backhand crosscourt that was too fast for Gaultier; this was followed by a backhand length drive that hit the nick, and then another overhead drop into the nick to put him into the lead  7-6. It was Gaultier’s turn to be unsettled and a low forehand slam found the tin – one of his few errors.   The score was 8-7 and Gaultier was determined not to let  Shabana increase his lead. There followed a long rally played mostly in the back court with just the occasional short shot. It was breathholding time as the rally went on but finally Shabana found an opening  and executed a forehand drop  to get to 9-7.  Gaultier hit the next ball out of court and Shabana tied it all up with a forehand drop to win 11-7.

World #1 Amr Shabana seemed at a loss as to what to do to stop the Frenchman.  (photo © Debra Tessier )

The score was 1/1 and the match had been sort of satisfying but with no real drama or excitement. One puzzling aspect was Shabana’s insistence on playing down the right wall, which, being a leftie, is his backhand, but more dangerously, he was feeding Gaultier’s forehand, which today was working beautifully.

In the third game Shabana paid dearly for that bad strategy. Gaultier was zinging the ball down the right wall for straight nick or cracking it low cross court and winning points with it. He hit six sweet winners  and Shabana seemed at a loss as to what to do to stop the Frenchman.  And so the third game went to Gaultier 11-4 in just over ten minutes.

The half hidden referee, his eyes at floor level  had  a bad fourth game. Three times Gaultier hit a drop to front left, three times Shabana was standing behind him waiting to hit the ball and three times the referee said let rather than stroke. Gaultier made no effort to clear across the front of the court and so allow the incoming striker a direct path to the ball.  There was another  point when Gaultier hit a loose ball  down the left wall and backed straight to the T pushing Shabana away from the ball. Instead of the stroke, Shabana was denied even a let. At one stage in the game he got so angry he slammed the ball upwards and received a conduct warning. 

Gaultier was also getting too verbal and he received a conduct warning for dissent.

This was all getting out of hand and the little excitement that had been generated had disappeared in the bickering and incomprehensible calls.

Gaultier was also getting too verbal and he received a conduct warning for dissent..  (photo © Debra Tessier )

They were level at 8-8, Gaultier  reached match ball 10-8 but Shabana was now really up for a fight. He hit super winner to reach 9-10 and then was robbed of another point when he was given a let rather than a stroke which would have made it 10-10 and forced a tie break.  By this time Shabana was dispirited – he couldn’t even bother to argue. The game finished with a Gaultier drop shot and Shabana picked up the ball and belted it to the back of the auditorium in frustration. And nobody could blame him. After the match there was a party featuring Boston’s James Montgomery Band. They play the blues – it’s the last place you will find Amr Shabana, I should think.

Gaultier deserved his win and Squash deserves more intelligent placement of the officials so they can at least see what is happening.  If the referees refuse to sit behind the front wall or by the side walls, then train a special crew of glass court referees who will. See my Global Gallery at the end of the month for fuller discussion on this subject.

US Open 2006, Final RESULTS:
Back Bay Events Center:[Complete draw]
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) def [[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-5 7-11 11-4 11-9 63min

As a special treat, the James Montgomery Band.  (photos: © Debra Tessier )

Tournament Master of Ceremonies, Don Goodwin. (photo © Debra Tessier )

Tournament Director John Nimick congratulates Gaultier. (photo © Debra Tessier )

Shabana and Gaultier thank the sponsors, crowd, and volunteers.  (photo © Debra Tessier )