Willstrop Wins Richmond Title
Final:
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4 (83m)
England's James Willstrop has extended his best-ever run on the international squash circuit by beating French rival Gregory Gaultier in a dramatic five-game final of the Davenport Professional Squash Championship at the University of Richmond in Virginia, USA, to win the third title in his fourth successive final appearance in a PSA Tour event.
It was a see-saw climax to the $77,500 PSA Super Series event in which Gaultier, the world No3, twice pegged back leads by the new world number four before Willstrop clinched the last game for the loss of just four points to claim the title after 83 minutes with an 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4 scoreline.
The win marks Willstrop's tenth PSA Tour title - and his third PSA Super Series trophy.
The Virginia triumph caps a sensational twelve months for the 24-year-old Yorkshireman who failed to reach a single PSA final in 2006 - then began his winning Tour run in March last year with success in the ISS Canary Wharf Classic in London. The England number one followed this with title victories in the Prince English Grand Prix and the Mamut English Open and a runner-up berth in the US Open.
After leading England to a successful defence of the World Team Championship title in India in December, Willstrop continued his Tour run by reaching the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions climax in New York in January, before lifting the Case Swedish Open crown last month - when he also had time to retain his British National Championship title in Manchester.