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Squash: Breakthrough As # 1
02 Apr 2008 15:37
 
Amr Shabana, EGY, Squash World # 1 as of 01/04/08
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Egypt's world champion Amr Shabana moves into his 25th successive month at the top of the Dunlop PSA Men's World Squash Rankings - according to the April list published today by the Professional Squash Association - thereby claiming the longest unbroken run as world number one since legendary Pakistani Jansher Khan more than ten years ago. 

The 28-year-old from Cairo first topped the rankings in April 2006, since when he has won nine PSA Tour titles.  In December in Bermuda, Shabana won his third World Open crown - and his fourth successive PSA Super Series title in just two months! 

After record eight times world champion Jansher Khan completed a 53-month world number one run in January 1998, his English successor Peter Nicol established a 24-month unbroken run which ended in December 2003. 

The unchanged April top ten sees Shabana's compatriot Ramy Ashour at two; Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in third place, and Englishman James Willstrop at # 4.

Just outside the top ten, Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee leaps five places to # 12 - his highest ranking since December 2003.  Beng Hee, the 28-year-old from Penang who is based in the UK, celebrated a two-year Tour title drought last month when he won the CIMB KL Open on home soil. 

Fellow Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar also celebrates a notable rise - five positions to # 13.  The 25-year-old from Kuala Lumpur beat Ong Beng Hee in the final of the Asian Championship in February, then finished as runner-up to his national rival in the KL Open. 

After celebrating his top 20 debut last month, Australia's Cameron Pilley makes further progress in the April list by moving to a career-high 18.  The UK-based 25-year-old from New South Wales achieved his best ever run in a 5-star event last month - reaching the final of the ISS Canary Wharf Classic in London as the seventh seed.

            1          [1]        Amr Shabana    EGY

            2          [2]        Ramy Ashour    EGY

            3          [3]        Gregory Gaultier            FRA

            4          [4]        James Willstrop            GBR

            5          [5]        David Palmer     AUS

            6          [6]        Nick Matthew    GBR

            7          [7]        Thierry Lincou   FRA

            8          [8]        Karim Darwish   EGY

            9          [9]        Wael El Hindi    EGY

            10        [10]      Peter Barker     GBR

            11        [11]      Lee Beachill      GBR

            12        [17]      Ong Beng Hee  MAS

            13        [18]      Mohd Azlan Iskandar     MAS

            14        [15]      Adrian Grant     GBR

            15        [12]      John White       SCO

            16        [14]      Stewart Boswell            AUS

            17        [16]      Olli Tuominen    FIN

            18        [20]      Cameron Pilley  AUS

            19        [19]      Laurens Jan Anjema      NED

            20        [13]      Mohammed Abbas        EGY


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