Egypt News

Economical progress is a priority in a 64-draw field requiring six matches in six days, and the Frenchman achieved that pretty well in an 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 win against Alan Clyne, a qualifier from Scotland.

‘I am really focussed, I am really well prepared,’ an upbeat Gaultier said.

‘I was confident I would get through. I played pretty solid. He gave me a good run and I am very pleased to have won 3-0.’Gaultier is aware that he has both Nick Matthew, the British Open champion from England, and Ramy Ashour, the defending World Open champion from Egypt, in his half, and that heroic matches against either or both could prevent him from winning his first world title.

He hurtled into a 9-0 lead against Clyne before there was brief interruption to his progress, and then pushed on hard to 8-2 in the second before Clyne began to fathom Gaultier’s versatile, attack-into-defence-into attack, style of play.

The third was better contested, with Clyne pulling the deficit back to only one point after trailing 1-5 and 4-7. Gaultier then visibly focussed hard to finish it off, and expressed his pleasure at having done so.

Asked about whether being world number one had altered his mentality in any way, Gaultier replied: ‘I try not to think about it.

‘When I came back from Hong Kong last week there was a lot of interest which was nice, and I tried to do everything possible,’ said the 26-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, referring to public relations.

‘But now I am trying to focus on my matches. I really feel confident about being world number one - I have been aiming for this for two or three years now.

‘I feel relief. I have finally achieved this goal, and now I am not running after it. I am just enjoying my squash.’

Gaultier next plays Julian Illingworth, the world number 32 from the United States, and if he wins should be within one win of the dangerous Matthew, who needed to play only one game before John Rooney of Ireland retired injured.

Meanwhile Karim Darwish, the Egyptian who is top of the draw because the seedings are based on last month’s rankings, started with a win over Mansoor Zaman, the Pakistani who is son of the former world number one Qamar Zaman, by 17-15, 11-4, 11-7.

Another front runner, Amr Shabana, the three times former World Open champion from Egypt overcame Shaun le Roux of England 11-6, 11-5, 11-5, while Ashour also enjoyed a pleasantly brief encounter after winning the first game 13-11 against Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira, after which the Mexican retired.

EGYPT NEWS

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