Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini has ended compatriot Nouran Gohar‘s 57-week reign as the top-ranked female squash player to reclaim the World #1 spot in the latest PSA World Rankings.
El Sherbini, who was World #1 for 31 months between 2016 and 2018 and 17 months between 2020-2022, returns to the top having won two major titles this season.
Those wins at the Tournament of Champions and British Open, coupled with a win at the Gold-level Grasshopper Cup in Switzerland and strong performances at this season’s Egyptian Open, U.S. Open, Hong Kong Open and Black Ball Open, and the expiration of Gohar’s points from the 2022 Tournament of Champions, have been enough to return ‘the Warrior Princess’ to the game’s summit.
Speaking from the ongoing PSA World Championships Presented by the Walter Family in Chicago, where El Sherbini is through to the quarter final and will play England’s Gina Kennedy tomorrow, the 27-year-old said:
“I’m pleased to be going back to No.1 but it’s still a long week and a very important one for me.
“I just want to take it day-by-day without thinking about it that much.
“But of course, I’m happy to be back to No.1 and hopefully I can keep this spot.”
Sherbini’s third reign could be a short one though, with the World No.1 ranking on the line in Chicago.
To maintain her top ranking for the next week commencing, El Sherbini needs to defend her World Championship title on May 11th or finish runner up should Gohar fail to reach the final.
Last year’s runner up Gohar, who will play compatriot Nour El Tayeb in her quarter final today, will recapture the top spot should she win a maiden World Championship or should El Sherbini fail to reach the final.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Belgium’s Nele Gilis of Belgium moved up one place to return to the top 10, while in the Men’s Rankings, Peru’s Diego Elias remains top.
