Gaultier In Sight Of European Hat-Trick

France's Gregory Gaultier is one match away from winning his third successive European Individual Championship title after defeating compatriot Renan Lavigne in the men's semi-finals of the Head-sponsored European Squash Federation event in Budapest, Hungary.

The world No8 from Aix-en-Provence claimed victory midway through the third game when Lavigne, a 5/8 seed, sustained an ankle injury which caused him to concede the match with the score at 9-3, 9-5, 4-0 in Gaultier's favour.

The defending champion will not meet Czech champion Jan Koukal in a repeat of the 2005 final. Koukal, the 9/16 seed who reached the last four at the expense of England's No2 seed Peter Barker, met his match in Spain's Borja Golan.

The 3/4 seed from Santiago brushed aside the Czech No1 9-0, 9-5, 9-0 in 36 minutes to reach the final for the first time.

The women's climax will be the predicted all-England affair between favourite Jenny Duncalf and No2 seed Laura-Jane Lengthorn. Duncalf, the world No6 from Harrogate in Yorkshire ended the run of Belgium's Annabel Romedenne, beating the 9/16 seed 9-0, 9-1, 9-2 in 23 minutes, while Lengthorn battled back from two games down to overcome France's 3/4 seed Isabelle Stoehr 3-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-1, 9-6 in 63 minutes.

Men's semi-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [5/8] Renan Lavigne (FRA) 9-3, 9-5, 4-0 ret. (36m)
[3/4] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [9/16] Jan Koukal (CZE) 9-0, 9-5, 9-0 (36m)

Women's semi-finals:
[1] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [9/16] Annabel Romedenne (BEL) 9-0, 9-1, 9-2 (23m)
[2] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt [3/4] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) 3-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-1, 9-6 (63m)