Ashour & Matthew Hold Onto Top Two
World Ranking Slots
After both claimed major PSA titles last month, Egypt's
Ramy Ashour and Englishman Nick Matthew hold onto
the top two positions in the April Dunlop PSA Men's World
Squash Rankings.
Ashour moves into his fourth month as world number one after
winning the 5-star CIMB KL Open in Malaysia in March. Later
in the month, in London, Matthew triumphed in the ISS Canary
Wharf Classic – also a 5-star event – and has further closed
the gap behind his Egyptian rival, in second place.
Egypt's former world number one Amr Shabana holds onto third
place in the list while Karim Darwish completes the trio of
Egyptians in the top four by moving up to No4 – boosted by
reaching the Kuala Lumpur final.
 After contesting three successive Tour finals in Canada last
month – losing two to Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema but
then winning the third against Hisham Ashour in Calgary –
England's Daryl Selby celebrates his top ten debut
and a career-high No9 ranking.
The new ranking consolidates the 27-year-old from Essex's
position as the fourth highest-ranked Englishman in the
list.
But Anjema also boasts a best-ever ranking – leaping four
places to a career-high No11 after winning the National Bank
Financial Group International in Montreal and the Manitoba
Open in Winnipeg.
And a further Englishman has reasons to be cheerful as
Jonathan Kemp celebrates his first appearance in the top
20 at No20, sharing the position with Pakistan's Aamir Atlas
Khan.
Left-hander Kemp made it through to the 13th Tour final of
his career at last month's Chennai Open in India.
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Nicol overtakes Michelle
Malaysia's Nicol David has passed another major
milestone in her illustrious squash career by moving into
her 45th successive month at the top of the April Women's
World Squash Rankings.
By overtaking the 44-month run achieved by Australia's
Michelle Martin in October 1996, Nicol David has established
the longest unbroken reign as world number one since the
great New Zealander Susan Devoy 17 years ago in February
1993.
The 26-year-old from Penang began her 2010 WISPA World Tour
campaign in March, and immediately added a further two
titles to her formidable collection by winning both the
Chennai Open in India and the CIMB KL Open on home soil in
Malaysia – successes which brought her career WISPA title
haul to 43.
England's Jenny Duncalf, runner-up to David in KL,
reclaims her career-high world number two ranking while
Dutch star Natalie Grinham, currently out of action while
awaiting the birth of her first child, drops to third place.
But England's Alison Waters rises a single position
to record a best-ever fourth place in the new list. The
26-year-old Londoner is enjoying the form of her life after
winning two WISPA Tour titles in the USA at the beginning of
the year before becoming the British National champion for
the second time in February.
Mexico's Samantha Teran celebrates her third rankings
rise this year by moving to a career-best No12 this month.
Unseeded, the 28-year-old from Mexico City reached the
quarter-finals of the KL Open in Malaysia.
Lower in the list, Australia's Donna Urquhart makes
her long-awaited debut in the world top 20 at No20. The
23-year-old left-hander from New South Wales reached her
ninth Tour final at the Chairman's Cup in Hong Kong as third
seed in January, then earned places in the main draws of
both the Chennai Open and KL Open as a qualifier.
And just outside the top 20 is a trio of promising stars all
boasting career-high rankings – England's Sarah Kippax at
21; ahead of Malaysian Delia Arnold, up seven places to 22;
and New Zealander Joelle King at 23.
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20 PSA
TOP
20 WISPA