GREGOIRE MARCHE

 Titles 

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• 3x Nantes International Open (2015, 2016, 2017),

• Pittsburgh Open (2019),

• Montpellier Metropole Open (2019)

• 4x French National Champion (2014, 2019, 2021, 2022),

• 2x European Team Champion (FRA - 2015, 2017),

• World Games Individual Silver Medal (2017)

 

Biography

Grégoire Marche is one of the best French players on the Tour, having been in the world top 16 for several years.

 

He went through a barren period towards the end of 2008, but returned to action in early 2009, claiming victory at the XI Open Internacional D'Squash Esportiu Rocafort in January. Marche won his first PSA M5 event in April 2011, beating compatriot Joan Lezaud 3-0 in the Baillargues PSA final.

 

After a strong first half of 2013, in which he reached the quarter-finals of the PSA M35 event, the Grasshopper Cup, Marche broke into the top 30 of the world rankings for the first time. 2014 saw Marche reach the quarter-final stage just once at the National Bank Financial Squash Open, but got off to a good start in 2015 finishing in the same spot at the Pittsburgh Open in February.

 

Marche qualified for the semi-finals of the Andorra Open in 2015, where he lost to world No. 1 Karim Abdel Gawad. However, the Frenchman won the Open International De Squash De Nantes in September 2015 beating Finland's Henrik Mustonen for the title. The following year, Marche successfully defended his title, this time beating England's Chris Simpson 3-1 in the final to retain his crown.

 

Marche then reached the last eight of the NetSuite Open and the Qatar Classic in the latter part of 2016, before winning a third consecutive Open International de Squash de Nantes in 2017. He was unable to win a fourth in a row, however, losing in the quarterfinals to Declan James. Marche picked up the biggest victory of his career at the Three Rivers Capital Pittsburgh Open in February 2019.

 

The Frenchman picked up a second win of the 2018-19 campaign in his final appearance of the season, as he won on home soil at the 5R Montpellier Metropole Open, beating James Willstrop in the final. Thanks to these results, Marche climbed into the top 16 of the world rankings for the first time in his career.

 

His best result of the 2019-20 campaign came at the French Open – Nantes where he reached the semi-finals on home soil, thrilling the partisan public. He also made the last four of the Pittsburgh Open, in addition to advancing to the last 16 of four major tournaments in the campaign. In December 2019, Marche was a key member of the French squad that finished in 3rd place at the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championships in Washington, DC.

 

The Frenchman returned to the PSA World Tour after the forced break for COVID-19 by reaching the last 16 of the four tournaments he took part in. He did it at Manchester Open, CIB Egyptian Open, Qatar Classic and CIB Black Ball Squash Open.

 

Marche reached a first Platinum-level quarter-final at the start of 2021, at the El Gouna International Squash Open, before following up with his debut in the CIB PSA World Tour season-ending finals. The Frenchman moved up to career world number 12 in September, before reaching the last eight of the Canary Wharf Classic and CIB Squash Open Black Ball. He started 2022 with a first gold semifinal appearance, making it to the Houston Open.

 

This was followed later in the year by quarter-final results at two more Gold-level tournaments, as Marche reached the last eight of the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions and the Necker Mauritius Open presented by Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels.

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