Gaultier Celebrates Thierry Triumph - At Last - In Boston

After seven Gallic battles on the PSA Tour since December 2004, Gregory Gaultier finally secured the victory that has hitherto eluded him when he beat compatriot Thierry Lincou, France's most successful squash player of all-time, in the quarter-finals of the US Open at the John Hancock Hall in Boston.

Three of their recent battles went to five games - with Lincou, the former world No1 and world champion, needing more than an hour each time to quash his younger compatriot. After taking the first game in Boston, Gaultier was quickly up 5-0 once again, but his formidable opponent fought back to tie the game, before Gaultier finessed a few quick points and Lincou committed a few rare errors, affording the 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence to creep ahead 9-6, and ultimately take the game.

With a 2/0 lead, a confident sixth seed Gaultier came out strong - but Lincou, the third seed, kept the game neck-and-neck to 7-7. A tough shot to the calf that will likely leave a mark on the experienced Lincou put Gaultier ahead 8-7 - and appeared to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back! Three quick points later and Gaultier had finally secured his compatriot's scalp - and a place in the semi-finals following his 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 victory in 59 minutes.

Gaultier, now ranked five in the world, will face Australia's David Palmer for a place in the final. In a repeat of last year's final, the Australian beat England's title-holder Lee Beachill 5-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 in 60 minutes - ending the Yorkshireman's bid to become the first player to win the squash title three times in a row. For World Open champion Palmer, the victory means a fifth successive semi-final berth on the PSA Tour.

Egypt's Ramy Ashour continued his relentless charge through the Boston draw to claim an unexpected place in the other semi-final. The 19-year-old 11th seed from Cairo - who removed Australia's No4 seed Anthony Ricketts in the previous round - overcame Canada's 16th seed Graham Ryding 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 in just 31 minutes.

Ashour, who secured a shock place in the last month's Hong Kong Open final, will again meet his compatriot Amr Shabana, the top seed ranked one in the world, in the Boston semis.

Until the fourth game of the quarter-final match against Shabana, Nick Matthew's heart and soul were in terrific form. The British Open champion from England, ranked 7 in the world, was neck-and-neck with world's top player. Both players were sending shots deep and digging even further to eke out each point. At 12-all in the first game, Matthew earned a tough 13th point, before a down ball by Shabana gave him the early advantage.

In game two, Shabana crept up to a 10-8 lead before Matthew gave up the game-winning shot, allowing the top-ranked player to tie up the match. The third game started with Shabana ahead, but Matthew quickly brought it to 4-all and stayed in the game, before Shabana matched him at eight and never looked back. Shabana took the fourth and final game in a mere six minutes to secure his 10-11 (2-4), 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 win in 59 minutes.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [7] Nick Matthew (ENG) 10-11 (2-4), 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 (59m)
[11] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [16] Graham Ryding (CAN) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (31m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [3] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (59m)
[2] David Palmer (AUS) bt [8] Lee Beachill (ENG) 5-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 (60m)