Less than
two weeks after becoming World Champion for a record eighth time,
Malaysia's Nicol David celebrates the ninth anniversary of
first becoming world number one by topping the January 2015
Women's World Squash Rankings published by the Women's Squash
Association.
It was in
January 2006 that David, aged 22, first headed the WSA list. After
slipping to No2 in April, the 31-year-old from Penang reclaimed pole
position in August 2006 - since when she has reigned supreme for a
record unbroken 102 months!
At the
Wadi Degla Women's World Squash Championship last month in
Egypt, David saved four match-balls in the final of the 30th staging
of the premier WSA championship to reclaim the trophy and extend her
record to eight titles!
Her
opponent was home favourite Raneem El Welily, the No.3 seed
from the Wadi Degla club in Cairo who reached the
final against expectations. The Alexandria-born 26-year-old is
rewarded by moving up to No.2 in the January rankings, returning to
second place for the first time since March 2013.
"The
world open week was a crazy week - one that I will certainly never
forget," said El Welily on hearing the news of her new 2015 ranking.
"It was the first time for me to have this much support around me. A
week that I certainly enjoyed and learned so much from. So much
about myself as well.
"I'm
thankful that I made it this far at the tournament of course. Losing
this way in the final stings - but I'm just thankful, always
thankful. I'm happy it puts me back at number two and I'm hoping
this won't be my best stop!
"I am
looking forward to a new year, to the next tournaments that will
most certainly be challenging as always if not ever. But definitely
excited for 2015!"
England's
Laura Massaro slips to three in the new list, with Egypt's
Nour El Sherbini at No.4, and Londoner Alison Waters -
who denied Massaro, the defending champion, a third successive
appearance in the final after a shock quarter-final upset in Cairo -
in fifth place.
Rising
Egyptian Nouran Gohar celebrates a career-high No.17 ranking.
The 17-year-old from Cairo - the youngest player in the world top 20
- toppled fourth seed El Sherbini in the opening round of the World
Championship in her home city, just a month after winning the WSA
Silver 25 Monte Carlo Classic from the position of eighth seed!
There are
further Egyptian highlights lower in the new ranking list - led by
15-year-old Habiba Mohamed who becomes the youngest player in
the top 30 after leaping from 66 in January 2014 to a career-best
No.23. Nadine Shahin, a 17-year-old from Cairo, rises to a
career-high No.40, while Alexandrian Nouran El Torky moves up
to a best-ever No.41.
