 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 on November 2009, a feat achieved after losing in the final of the Hong Kong Open a month earlier.