Throwback Thursday: Gaultier Masterclass Downs Shabana in NetSuite Open

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Charismatic Frenchman Gregory Gaultier got his 2015/16 season off to a fine start with victory at the Stars on the Bund China Open earlier this month before he followed that up with a semi-final finish at the AJ Bell British Grand Prix a week later.

Next up for the ‘French General’ is the NetSuite Open in San Francisco where he will begin his defence of the crown that he won in emphatic style last year.

We take a look back at that scintillating final performance against the recently retired Amr Shabana – a display that personified the then World No.1’s physical and tactical greatness.

Gaultier had already tasted success at the NetSuite Open prior to 2014, defeating Nick Matthew in the final two years previously. Shabana on the other hand had lost out to Gaultier at the semi-final stage that same year.

The Frenchman was in unstoppable form en-route to the final and eased to three consecutive victories against Gregoire Marche, Chris Simpson and Miguel Angel Rodriguez, failing to drop a single game in the process.

Meanwhile, Shabana had dispatched Alan Clyne in round one before the ‘Maestro’ went on to down Adrian Grant and Peter Barker to ensure that the top two seeds would do battle in the showpiece event.

Gaultier was unrelenting throughout the encounter as the two played out a highly tactical battle at the Justin Herman Plaza.

You can watch the highlights of this absorbing spectacle below for FREE

If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, you can find more glorious Gaultier performances over on SQUASHTV – including the 2015 Grasshopper Cup.

To make sure you don’t miss a moment of the NetSuite Open on SQUASHTV, we’re offering an incredible 33 per cent off a monthly subscription for six months. Visit SQUASHTV and use coupon code 33SQUASHTV.