Matthew wins fourth title of year

Top seed Matthew, from Sheffield, defeated fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop after an epic two-hour plus semi-final battle on Thursday night.

And Matthew then went on to beat former world No 1 Gaultier 12-10 6-11 13-11 11-3 to pick up his fourth title of the year following success in the Swedish Open, British National Championships and the North American

Open.

"I got a bit lucky - Greg could easily have won 3-0 but I won some big points at the crucial stages," said Matthew after his 13th undefeated match in a row.

"If there's two tie-breaks in a match, you sort of expect them to go one each.

"I was feeling and playing better at the end and it may have been preying on his mind that he could have won 3-0."

Matthew showed few signs of fatigue following one of the most epic battles in squash history against Willstrop and the 29-year-old took the crucial opening game 12-10, despite Gaultier holding game ball at 10-9.

The Frenchman, who topped the world rankings in November, responded in stunning style, racing to a 5-0 lead and winning the game comfortably by a five-point margin.

Gaultier continued the attack in the third game but was unable to maintain his control, letting slip a 6-2 lead. The Frenchman was still ahead at 9-6 but was unable to convert that lead as Matthew forced the second tie-break of the match, finally clinching it 13-11 after the 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence held game ball at 11-10.

Matthew then ran out an easy winner in the final game as Gaultier's challenge wilted.