ElShorbagy Returns to Top Two in Men’s December World
Rankings as Ashour Tumbles
A sparkling run of form which has seen him claim three PSA World Tour
titles in a row has elevated Egypt’s Mohamed ElShorbagy up to World No.2
after the release of the PSA Men’s World Rankings today (December 1).
The Bristol-based 26-year-old spent 28 months atop the World Rankings
between 2015-2017, but a run of poor form last season saw him lose the
coveted World No.1 ranking, slipping to No.3 last April.
However, ElShorbagy has played some of his best squash to reach six
successive Tour finals - winning five of them - to move back inside the
world’s top two behind Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, with U.S. Open
champion Ali Farag also on the rise to No.3, while Karim Abdel Gawad
drops to No.4 ahead of his World Championship title defence later this
month.
A semi-final finish at last month’s Hong Kong Open has seen Marwan,
Mohamed’s younger brother, move into the top five for the second time in
his career, with England’s three-time World Champion Nick Matthew
dropping to No.6 - his lowest ranking since 2009.
The rest of the top 10 is made up of Egypt’s Tarek Momen (No.7), New
Zealand’s Paul Coll (a career-high No.8), Germany’s Simon Rösner (No.9)
and England’s former World No.1 James Willstrop.
Another former World No.1 - Egyptian maverick Ramy Ashour - has tumbled
down the rankings after a shock first round defeat to tournament
wildcard Leo Au in Hong Kong, falling eight places to No.17, which is
his lowest ranking since 2006.
His compatriot, Mohamed Abouelghar, moves to a career-high No.11 spot,
with Peruvian Diego Elias achieving a career-best No.12 ranking. The
injured Fares Dessouky drops five places to No.13, while Ryan Cuskelly
(No.14) and Daryl Selby (No.15) complete the top 15.
India’s Saurav Ghosal enjoys a five-place increase to No.16 to sit ahead
of Ashour, with Spain’s Borja Golan (No.18), Omar Mosaad (No.19), and
Mexico’s Cesar Salazar (No.20) rounding out the top 20.
