Egypt's Ramy Ashour heads the April Dunlop PSA Men's World
Squash Rankings, published today by the Professional Squash
Association, with the highest points average ever recorded.
Final
appearances in all nine PSA World Tour events in which he has
appeared over the past twelve months - with title triumphs in eight,
including last month's PSA World Series North American Open and
Kuwait PSA Cup - take the 25-year-old from Cairo's points average
to 1,872.50, more than 700 above his nearest rival!
Unbeaten since losing the British Open final to England's Nick
Matthew last May, Ashour celebrated his 36th win in a row two weeks
ago when he defeated Englishman James Willstrop 6-11, 11-8, 11-3,
11-3 in the Kuwait PSA Cup climax.
"The
latest PSA World Tour rankings certainly reflect the remarkable
consistency Ramy is showing on the PSA World Tour," said PSA COO Lee
Beachill. "For any player to put together an unbeaten run of 36
matches in the era is incredible, particularly given the very high
standard and depth currently on the Tour.
"His
attitude on and off the court is very endearing and he is a fantastic
role model for our sport," added Beachill, also a former world number
one.
Matthew retains his second position in the new list, while Willstrop -
winner of last month's Canary Wharf Classic in London - moves up
to third place, pushing Frenchman Gregory Gaultier down to No4.
Success by Karim Darwish in Sunday's final of the CIMB KL Open
in Malaysia for the second time in three years takes the Egyptian up to
five in the April rankings, while fellow countryman Mohamed El
Shorbagy, the runner-up, slips to No6.
Borja Golan,
the top-ranked Spaniard who was out of the game for almost a year
following major knee surgery, has completed his remarkable recovery by
marking a career-high world No9 ranking this month.
"I am
very proud of this achievement because every position I reach is like
climbing a mountain," said the 30-year-old from Santiago de Compostela
who notched up his 28th Tour title at the Windy City Open in
Chicago in February.
"Every
player around me is so good that I have to push over the limit to get to
my points," added Golan. "It is very hard but also very emotional and
good for the game."
Tarek Momen
makes his top ten debut and becomes the fifth highest-ranked Egyptian
after rising to a best-ever No10. The 25-year-old from Cairo reached the
KL Open quarter-finals unseeded and boasts three titles on the PSA Tour.
South
African Stephen Coppinger continues his march up the rankings by
moving up two places to a career-high 18. The 28-year-old from Cape Town
reached the Canary Wharf Classic quarter-finals unseeded and celebrated
his 14th Tour final appearance in February's Windy City Open.
