Ramy Ashour Maintains
World Ranking Lead
 Egypt's
Ramy Ashour maintains his lead at the top of the March
Dunlop PSA Men's World Squash Rankings, but second-placed
Englishman Nick Matthew has reduced the gap in the new list.
The world's top two players met for the second time this
year in last month's final of the North American Open – but
this time Matthew emerged triumphant in the second PSA Super
Series 2010 event of the year in Richmond, Virginia, as the
Yorkshireman ended a four-match winning streak by Ashour.
While Egyptian Amr Shabana, who lost to Ashour in a
five-game semi-final in the USA, holds onto third place,
in-form Englishman James Willstrop rises two places to take
over fourth place after a semi-final berth in Richmond and a
title triumph in the year's opening PSA Super Series event
at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York.
Veteran Frenchman Thierry Lincou also has cause for
celebration after moving back into the world's top eight,
leapfrogging David Palmer after beating his Australian rival
en-route to winning the Bluenose Classic in Canada last
month to notch up his 22nd PSA World Tour title.
Rising English star Daryl Selby moves up three places to
No12 to move ahead of compatriot Alister Walker – boosted by
an unexpected runners-up berth in the Bluenose Classic.
And Australian Cameron Pilley is rewarded with a career-high
world No14 ranking after reaching last month's Swedish Open
semi-finals unseeded.
A surprise runner-up finish in the Motor City Open in
Detroit in February has seen Azlan Iskandar move up to 18 –
now ahead of fellow Malaysian Ong Beng Hee for the second
time this year.
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Waters Closes The Gap
On the World Top Four
 England's
Alison Waters has closed the gap on the top four players in
the world after winning her second title of the year and
strengthening her position at No5 in the March Women's World
Squash Rankings.
Malaysia's Nicol David holds the No1 position, ahead of
Dutch star Natalie Grinham in second place; England's Jenny
Duncalf at No3; and Rachael Grinham, of Australia, in fourth
place.
In her second successive final against Omneya Abdel Kawy,
Alison Waters beat the Egyptian in five games to win last
month's Burning River Classic in Cleveland, USA. The
Londoner then maintained her stunning 2010 form by beating
higher-ranked compatriot Jenny Duncalf to win the British
National title. There are now only a wafer-thin 64 points
separating places two to five.
Abdel Kawy's success in Ohio sees her rise to a
career-high-equalling No6 in the new list, ahead of
Ireland's Madeline Perry in seventh place.
Mexico's Samantha Teran is celebrating a best-ever ranking
this month. The 28-year-old from Mexico City, already the
highest-ranked player of all time from Mexico, exceeded her
seeding in the Burning River Classic to reach the last four.
A three-place rise by Raneem El Weleily also sees the
21-year-old Egyptian record a career-high ranking. The
former world junior champion from Alexandria jumps to No15
after making the semi-finals both in Cleveland and in the
Greenwich Open in January – unseeded.
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