British Open To Climax In First All-French Final

For the first time in the event's 77-year history, the British Open will climax in an all-French men's final, after Gregory Gaultier and Thierry Lincou both upset higher-ranked opponents in the semi-finals of the Dunlop-sponsored event at the National Squash Centre at Sportcity in Manchester.

Malaysia's defending champion Nicol David will contest the women's final for the third successive year - and will face Australia's Rachael Grinham in a repeat of the 2006 climax.

Gregory Gaultier, the third seed from Aix-en-Provence, celebrated his maiden appearance in a British Open final after defeating Egypt's world number one Amr Shabana, the top seed, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9 in 61 minutes.

"It's always been a kind of a dream of mine, getting to the final of the British - well, winning the British Open I mean," the delighted Frenchman told the official website www.britishopensquash.com . "I'm very happy with my game, I'm happy to be back after a bad injury - and tomorrow, I'm not going to give 100%, not 500%, but 1,000%," added the 24-year world number four.

"Amr and I have a lot of respect for each other, he is really a great guy, he is such a fair player. I have learnt so much from him over the years, he is such an example for me and for the sport."

The later men's semi-final produced the dream outcome for French squash when fourth seed Thierry Lincou repeated his victory over Australian David Palmer at the same stage of the event last year - beating the reigning world champion 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7, also in 61 minutes.

World number three Palmer was clearly struggling with his movement and took a three-minute injury break midway through the third game.

"At 8-7 in the second, I pulled a muscle, and the match was over," explained 31-year-old Palmer, a three-time winner of the title. "There was nothing I could do on my right leg, my dominating leg. We put a cold spray on it, but it didn't make any difference."

Lincou, who is celebrating his second successive appearance in the final, sympathised with his opponent: "I'm happy to win of course, but I'm unhappy for David, I've just come out of a long injury, I know what it is and what you feel. We are both 31, and I know that the road doesn't stop there, for either of us - there's still plenty of time left.

"I find I'm playing better as the tournament is unfolding, because I'm getting more and more relaxed as the match goes on," added the former world number one from Marseille.

"When I heard the result on Greg's match, I sent him a text to tell him how happy I was, how this victory confirmed his ascendancy over Shabana, and how delighted I was that he was in the final. As for tomorrow, we'll see. The moment is magic, and one must appreciate it as such.

"With two Frenchmen in the final of the British, France is already a winner!"

Home interest in the 2007 British Open evaporated when England number one Tania Bailey went down 9-1, 10-8, 9-3 in 41 minutes to Nicol David - the dominant Malaysian who is now in her 17th WISPA World Tour final in a row since November 2005!

"A three-nil scoreline doesn't show what a good game we played," agreed David, who this month celebrated her 17th month at the top of the world rankings - thus becoming the fourth longest standing women's world number one of all-time!

"From our last few matches she got the hang of what to do, and I had to work hard in every rally. It was a tough match, and I'm glad I pulled through.

"It was a great experience winning my first British Open title in Manchester two years ago on this court. I hope I can do it again tomorrow and I hope everyone that's been giving me such great support comes back too!"

The other women's semi-final produced the 16th international meeting between Australian sisters Rachael Grinham and Natalie Grinham - and the second successive win for older sibling Rachael after three losses already this year.

But Natalie, the record three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist who is based in the Netherlands, was clearly still suffering with the Achilles injury which has minimised her preparation for the event.

"It was crucial to win the second, from 8/5 up," said third seed Rachael after her 9-3, 10-9, 10-8 upset over her second-seeded sister. "I knew it would be a boost for me, and for her it would have meant she had to come back and win three games. I know she's still not fully fit, just like when we played in Holland.

"It would be awesome to get a third title, it's one of the most important in the game and having two is already a great achievement for me. I haven't had a good couple of years, haven't won many tournaments lately, so it would be great to do it now," added Rachael, the British Open champion in 2003 and 2004.

RESULTS: Dunlop British Open Squash Championships, Manchester, England

Men's semi-finals:
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [1] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9 (61m)
[4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [2] David Palmer (AUS) 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (61m)

Women's semi-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [4] Tania Bailey (ENG) 9-1, 10-8, 9-3 (41m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) 9-3, 10-9, 10-8 (54m)