Grégory Gaultier

For other people named Gaultier, see Gaultier (disambiguation).

Grégory Gaultier (born 23 December 1982, in Épinal, France) is a former professional squash player from France. He has won the 2015 World Open Squash Championship, the British Open three times, in 2007, 2014 and 2017, the Qatar Classic in 2011, the US Open twice, in 2006 and 2013, the Tournament of Champions in 2009, and the PSA World Series Finals thrice, in 2008, 2009 and 2016. He reached the final of the World Open in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013, and the World No. 1 ranking in 2009. Gaultier is affectionately known to his friends as The General.

Grégory Gaultier

Grégory Gaultier at the 2017 Men's World Team Squash Championships
Nickname(s)	French General
Country	France
Born	(1982-12-23) 23 December 1982 Épinal, France
Residence	Prague, Czech Republic
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Turned pro	1999
Retired	2021
Plays	Right handed
Coached by	Renan Lavigne Mathieu Benoît
Racquet used	Dunlop Biomimetic Grégory Gaultier Elite GTS Limited Edition
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (November, 2009)
Title(s)	44
Tour final(s)	83
World Open	W (2015)
Medal record Men's squash Representing France World Games 2013 Cali Singles World Championships 2006 Cairo Singles 2007 Hamilton Singles 2009 Kuwait Singles 2011 Rotterdam Singles 2013 Manchester Singles 2014 Doha Singles 2015 Bellevue Singles 2016 Cairo Singles 2017 Manchester Singles World Team Championships 2003 Vienna Team 2005 Islamabad Team 2009 Odense Team 2007 Chennai Team 2013 Mulhouse Team 2019 Washington D.C. Team
Updated on October 2021.

Career overview

Gaultier was the European junior squash champion in 2000 and 2001. He also won a British Junior Open title and finished as the runner-up at the World Junior Squash Championships.

In 2003, Gaultier was a member of the French team which finished runners-up to Australia at the World Team Squash Championships. In the semi-finals against England, Gaultier won the deciding match against Lee Beachill which took France through to the final.

At the 2006 World Open, Gaultier defeated World No. 1 and defending-champion Amr Shabana in the semi-finals, before losing in five games in the final to David Palmer 11–9, 11–9, 9–11, 10–11 (4–6), 2–11. In 2007, Gaultier again reached the World Open final, losing 7–11, 4–11, 6–11 to Shabana.

At the 2007 British Open, Gaultier defeated his fellow Frenchman Thierry Lincou in the final 11–4, 10–12, 11–6, 11–3. He became the first French winner of the British Open.

At the 2009 Tournament of Champions, Gaultier defeated the world No.1 Karim Darwish in the semifinal, and beat Nick Matthew in the final with a score 11–9, (2–11), 11–8, 11–4. He is the only Frenchman to have won the title.

Gaultier moved to the top of the world ranking in November 2009, a feat achieved after losing in the final of the Hong Kong Open a month earlier. In 2009 he became the second French player to become world no 1.

Gaultier has since won the Qatar Classic and reached the semi-finals of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, and later won the Case Swedish Open after dispatching Karim Darwish in the finals.

In 2013 he was Gold medalist of the World Games in Cali against Simon Rösner in the final. He won the US Open against Nick Matthew 11–4, 11–5, 11–5. Two weeks later, he reached the World Championship final for the fourth time, losing again 11–9, 11–9, 11–13, 7-11, 11–2 to Nick Matthew.

In February 2014 he once again reached the top of the World Ranking, but again only for a month, as was the case in November 2009. One month later, in March, he won the Metro Squash Windy City Open, another PSA World Series tournament in the University Club of Chicago beating the apparently injured Ramy Ashour in the final 11–7, 11–3, 11–4. In April he reached World Number 1 ranking for the third time.
In May he won the British Open for the second time beating Nick Matthew in a very quick final 11–3, 11–6, 11–2.

In October 2021 Gaultier announced his retirement from the PSA World Tour.

World Open final appearances

1 title & 4 runner-up

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2006	Cairo, Egypt	David Palmer	9–11, 9–11, 11–9, 16–14, 11–2
Runner-up	2007	Hamilton, Bermuda	Amr Shabana	11–7, 11–4, 11–6
Runner-up	2011	Rotterdam, Netherlands	Nick Matthew	6-11, 11–9, 11–6, 11-5
Runner-up	2013	Manchester, England	Nick Matthew	11–9, 11–9, 11–13, 7-11, 11-2
Winner	2015	Bellevue, United States	Omar Mosaad	11–6, 11–7, 12-10

Major World Series final appearances

British Open: 5 finals (3 titles, 2 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2007	Thierry Lincou	11–8, 5–11, 11–4, 9–11, 11–6
Runner-up	2013	Ramy Ashour	7-11, 11–4, 11–7, 11-8
Winner	2014	Nick Matthew	11–3, 11–6, 11-2
Runner-up	2015	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11–9, 6-11, 5-11, 11–8, 11-5
Winner	2017	Nick Matthew	8-11, 11–7, 11–3, 11-3

Tournament of Champions: 4 finals (1 title, 3 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2009	Nick Matthew	11-9,2-11,11-8,11-4
Runner-up	2013	Ramy Ashour	7-11, 6-11, 12–10, 11–3, 11-1
Runner-up	2014	Amr Shabana	11-8,11-3, 11-4
Runner-up	2017	Karim Abdel Gawad	6-11,11-6, 12–10, 11-6

Hong Kong Open: 5 finals (0 title, 5 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2007	Amr Shabana	11–13, 11–3, 11–6, 13-11
Runner-up	2008	Amr Shabana	11–9, 13–15, 8-11, 11–2, 11-3
Runner-up	2009	Amr Shabana	11–9, 9-11, 11–3, 5-2 (rtd)
Runner-up	2010	Ramy Ashour	10–12, 11–9, 11–9, 9-11, 11-9
Runner-up	2014	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11–9, 11–2, 4-11, 8-11, 11-4

Qatar Classic: 3 finals (1 title, 2 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2007	Amr Shabana	11–4, 8-11, 11–6, 11-5
Winner	2011	James Willstrop	11–8, 11–7, 2-11, 11-8
Runner-up	2015	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11–5, 11–7, 5-11, 12-10

US Open: 4 finals (3 titles, 1 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2006	Amr Shabana	11–5, 7-11, 11–4, 11-9
Runner-up	2012	Ramy Ashour	11–4, 11–9, 11-9
Winner	2013	Nick Matthew	11–4, 11–5, 11-5
Winner	2015	Omar Mosaad	11–6, 11–3, 11-5

See also

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking

External links

• Gregory Gaultier at the Professional Squash Association (archive) (archive 2)
• Gregory Gaultier at Squash Info
• Gregory Gaultier at the World Games
• Squashpics page at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 November 2006)
• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 9 January 2010)