November 25, 2007	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 14, 1428

HAMILTON (Bermuda), Nov 24: Gregory Gaultier, the unluckiest player on the circuit last year after being denied in five match points in the World Open final, may never have a better chance of atoning than over the next six days.

Gaultier begins this year’s World Open, starting on Sunday, with the boost of being the first Frenchman ever to win the British Open, and being conveniently elevated to second seed following Ramy Ashour’s injury.

The 20-year-old Egyptian was within a fraction of one point of taking over as number one in the November world rankings until he sustained a foot problem at the Qatar Classic, and he might well have been favourite to become world champion.

Now that accolade remains with Amr Shabana, twice a former winner, but whom Gaultier beat in the semi-finals of the World Open in Giza 14 months ago, and at the British Open in Manchester in September.

And the man from Aix-en-Provence needs no greater motivation than think of how a combination of David Palmer’s bravery and inconsistent refereeing denied him the greatest prize by the narrowest of margins in front of the famous Egyptian pyramids.

But Gaultier claims, as perhaps he must, that this is no longer in his head. “I forgot about it completely,” he said. “What happened may be a good thing for the future. Maybe I was not ready to win that kind of tournament.

“But it has helped me to be stronger. Even if I get into this situation again I know now how to deal with it, and not to let it go.

“Of course I have been disappointed and it has taken a lot of time to get rid of this kind of thing. In other ways it was a good thing, maybe for my future.”This is also the first World Open in which Gaultier has been seeded above Thierry Lincou, his French compatriot and former mentor, who won the World Open in Qatar in 2004 and remains a significant challenger.

Although the 31-year-old from Marseille lost the first all-French final of a British Open, he is seeded fifth and has been playing well. He might fancy his chances of another final but for a difficult draw.

Lincou has a likely quarter-final with Shabana, whom he has beaten only once in five tries, though that one success was in Bermuda, two years ago.

“I spent a week just recovering (from playing in the Far East) and I feel all right and ready for this,” Lincou said.

“I think I am playing as well as ever. It took me a little while to find and to put everything together (since the summer). But I am playing more positively and I’m a bit more focused and positive than at the beginning of the year.”

If he can survive the quarter-finals then there will be a much stronger chance of the first all-French World Open final, because Lincou should then have a meeting with Palmer, whom he beat at the British Open.

Gaultier may have a quarter-final with John White, the Australia-raised Scot who was within a point being world champion himself five years ago in Antwerp, and the Frenchman’s semi-final opponent should be James Willstrop of England.

He did not win any of the last three events, the Saudi International, the Qatar Classic, and the Hong Kong Open, but that, he claims, was not his intention.

“I didn’t prepare myself to win one of these tournaments. I didn’t put myself under too much pressure. I just wanted to achieve three semi-finals, and then anything I could do better was a bonus.

“I played my last three tournaments as a test for the World Open,” Gaultier added. It hinted that he too feels how big an opportunity this one is.—AFP