There were only a few moments when there was much doubt that Gaultier would do so. That was when El Hindi came back from 1-5 to 4-5 in the second game, but once that mini-recovery was halted, Gaultier was too fast and too incisive for his opponent.
El Hindi may well have been drained by his fine performance in taking world number one Karim Darwish to five games 
the day before. He can also take comfort from the attitude with which he continued to fight when hope was almost gone this time. But the result, and the manner of it, underlined how important fast daily recovery will be for anyone ambitious to take the title on Tuesday.
“We are human, we are not machines – that's why I have needed to work on my body,” said Gaultier, who looks as though he may be in the best condition of his life.
He also looks in improve mental shape: although he was playing his best mate on the tour, he focussed on the job almost all the way through, and did not often allow himself to become distracted.
The only occasion when it really seemed that he might be, he induced a great gust of laughter from the crowd – at the referee's expense, of course, as it so often is.
There had been four lets in five rallies as El Hindi was making his brief comeback. And there were four more, all in a row, at 9-4, as Gaultier was trying to close out the very important second game. His irritation bubbled over.
Out of the door Gaultier burst. “I don't think we have need of a referee,” he blurted. “Just pin the sign 'let' up there.” Not only did spectators laugh, but so did El Hindi, the player whose capacity for clearing the ball has occasionally been criticised.
After getting those feelings out, though, Gaultier did not lose concentration. Instead he followed it with a backhand drop to a clinging line, which made El Hindi rim the ball into the tin, and then unleashed a striking viper-like drive which induced an another tin.
The third game did see Gaultier relax briefly. He slipped to 0-3, but then hustled his way back to 7-3, his lower centre of gravity enabling him to thrust off better and change direction far more quickly than his tall opponent.
Near the end El Hindi leant heavily on the back wall, a moment which told much of the hidden story of the match. But he did produce the match's most spectacular shot – a sort of jump smash, badminton style, which hurtled stunningly into the nick – and he made a lot of admirers with the way he adapted to the pain of feeling his friend's superiority.
Not only has the men's tour has never had more variety; rarely has it had a better spirit either.