With an unprecedented lead over her nearest rival, Nicol David tops the January 2009 Women's World Squash Rankings, published on 31 December by the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) – thus moving into her 30th successive month as the world’s number one player.

The 25-year-old Malaysian celebrated the best year of her career in 2008, not only winning 10 WISPA Tour titles but also extending her unbeaten Tour record to 53 matches since October 2007.  Off-court, David became the youngest Malaysian to be conferred a Datukship - the equivalent of a British knighthood.

David heads an unchanged top four, with Natalie Grinham (Netherlands) at two; her older sister Rachael Grinham (Australia) in third place; and Natalie Grainger, of the USA, at number four.

The honour of being England’s highest-placed player has changed for the third time in three months as Jenny Duncalf leap-frogs Londoner Alison Waters to reclaim fifth place.

Lower down the list, their compatriot Tania Bailey – the former England number one who was out of action for much of 2008 following knee surgery - returns to the top 20 at 18 after her first and only month outside the elite group this decade.

Samantha Teran is the only player in the top twenty to celebrate a career-best position in the new list:  The 27-year-old Mexican, who boasts five WISPA Tour title successes in 2008, rises a single place to 16.

            1          [1]        Nicol David                   MAS

            2          [2]        Natalie Grinham            NED

            3          [3]        Rachael Grinham          AUS

            4          [4]        Natalie Grainger            USA

            5          [6]        Jenny Duncalf               GBR

            6          [5]        Alison Waters               GBR

            7          [7]        Omneya Abdel Kawy     EGY

            8          [8]        Laura Lengthorn            GBR

            9          [9]        Madeline Perry              IRL

            10        [10]      Shelley Kitchen             NZL

            11        [11]      Vanessa Atkinson         NED

            12        [12]      Isabelle Stoehr              FRA

            13        [13]      Kasey Brown                AUS

            14        [14]      Vicky Botwright            GBR

            15        [15]      Rebecca Chiu               HKG

            16        [17]      Samantha Teran            MEX

            17        [16]      Jaclyn Hawkes              NZL

            18        [21]      Tania Bailey                  GBR

            19        [18]      Lauren Briggs               GBR

            20        [19]      Raneem El Weleily        EGY

Egypt's Karim Darwish is number one for the first time in the new January Dunlop PSA Men's World Squash Rankings published today (1 January) by the Professional Squash Association - ending the 33-month reign of his illustrious compatriot Amr Shabana.

Darwish, 27, from Cairo, is the 13th player in history to top the men's world list, but only the second Egyptian.

After winning no events at all in 2006, Darwish claimed a single PSA Tour title the following year.  But it was in 2008, which he began ranked eight in the world, that the former world junior champion - hitherto largely overshadowed by fellow countrymen like Shabana and Ramy Ashour - made his mark:  Darwish reached six finals (including the World Open in England in October) and secured three titles, including his first Super Series crowns at the Qatar Classic and Saudi International.

It was his victory in last month's Saudi International - the richest event of all time, in which he scored his second win of the year over Shabana - that clinched Darwish's world-ranking breakthrough.

'This is the greatest moment of my career,' said Darwish after winning the Saudi title which guaranteed his world number one status.  'I've been working really hard all my life to reach this moment - thank God I should do it in this, the richest tournament ever.'

Shabana slips to two in the new list - but World Open champion Ramy Ashour remains at No3, thus maintaining Egypt's unique hold on the top three ranking positions in the world!

Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, runner-up to Darwish in the Saudi International, holds onto fourth place, with England's James Willstrop at No5 and Australia's British Open champion at six.

Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee begins 2009 in the top ten after moving up two places from 12.

Three players boast career-best rankings in the lower half of the top twenty - Pakistan teenager Aamir Atlas Khan rising to a best-ever 15, and Australian Cameron Pilley also moving up a single place to claim a first-time 17th place.

But Botswana-born Englishman Alister Walker - outside the top thirty a year ago - celebrates his maiden appearance in the top twenty by jumping three places to No18. 

 

            1          [2]        Karim Darwish               EGY

            2          [1]        Amr Shabana                EGY

            3          [3]        Ramy Ashour                EGY

            4          [4]        Gregory Gaultier            FRA

            5          [5]        James Willstrop            GBR

            6          [6]        David Palmer                 AUS

            7          [7]        Thierry Lincou               FRA

            8          [8]        Wael El Hindi                EGY

            9          [9]        Peter Barker                 GBR

            10        [12]      Ong Beng Hee              MAS

            11        [11]      Adrian Grant                 GBR

            12        [10]      Nick Matthew                GBR

            13        [13]      Mohd Azlan Iskandar     MAS

            14        [14]      Borja Golan                   ESP

            15        [16]      Aamir Atlas Khan          PAK

            16        [17]      Laurens Jan Anjema      NED

            17        [18]      Cameron Pilley              AUS

            18        [21]      Alister Walker               GBR

            19        [19]      Stewart Boswell            AUS

            20        [22]      Olli Tuominen                FIN