December 02, 2007	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 21, 1428

HAMILTON (Bermuda), Dec 1: Gregory Gaultier produced a stunning effort to reach his second World Open final in a row, dismissing England’s Nick Matthew in less than an hour on Friday to book a date with top-ranked Amr Shabana.

Second-seeded British Open champion Gaultier won 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 against the seventh-seeded US Open champion, the Frenchman chewing up his opponent’s defence with attacking variety but causing the biggest gasps from the audience with breathtaking retrievals.

The only concern about a performance in which Gaultier could hardly have played better is whether he can maintain such an exalted level in the final against Egypt’s Shabana, who ending Australian third seed David Palmer’s title defence 11-6, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5.

Not only has the man from Aix-en-Provence reached the final in a self-believing frame of mind, he got there without having dropped a game, perhaps giving him physical advantage as well.

The Englishman left the court to complain about one of Gaultier’s pick-ups, banging his hand on the floor and then back-heeling the glass wall in frustration when he was given no let.

The final point saw Matthew even more upset as Gaultier contained him and then launched a brilliant cross-court winner.

Once again he demanded a let, this time apparently claiming he had been impeded, and when he was refused he bent over and held his head for several seconds.

It earned him a chance of regaining the title he lost so anti-climactically by the Giza pyramids.—AFP