In the semi-finals against England, Gaultier won the deciding match against Lee Beachill which took France through to the final.

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.

Gaultier moved to the top of the world ranking in November 2009, a feat achieved after losing in the final of the Hong Kong Open a month earlier.

Two weeks later, he reached the World Championship final for the fourth time, losing again 11–9, 11–9, 11–13, 7-11, 11–2 to Nick Matthew.

One month later, in March, he won the Metro Squash Windy City Open, another PSA World Series tournament in the University Club of Chicago beating the apparently injured Ramy Ashour in the final 11–7, 11–3, 11–4.