Squash: Nigeria’s Yemisi Olatunji Is Biggest Mover On PSA Women's World Rankings For August 2021

Two Nigerian players moved up according to the latest global rankings for August 2021 released last Sunday by the world’s squash governing body, the Professional Squash Association (PSA).

AllNews reports that US-based Babatunde Ajagbe moved three places to No.157.

Local stars, Adegoke Onaopemipo, Garba AbdulLateef Enimakure and Abdulrahaman Yusuf, stay at No.299, No.448 and No.476 respectively.

In the women’s category, Nigeria squash empress, Yemisi Olatunji rose hugely from No.363 to No.153 (that's 210 places). Her sister, Busayo stays at No.217. Yemisi's acceleration implies that she is the biggest mover on the PSA Women's Rankings in the world for August 2021.

International players round-up: ElShorbagy back to world No.1

Egypt’s Mohamed ElShorbagy has returned to the top of the men’s PSA World Rankings for the fifth time in his career after he overtook compatriot Ali Farag to reach the No.1 spot.

ElShorbagy has now recorded 50 months of his career at the summit of the PSA men’s World Rankings following his semi-final victory over New Zealand’s Paul Coll at the PSA World Championships last month which saw him take back the No.1 spot that he lost to Farag in October 2020.

ElShorbagy is the fifth longest-serving male World No.1 of all time, with his 50 months atop the rankings only bettered by Jansher Khan, Jahangir Khan, Peter Nicol and Geoff Hunt.

Farag moves down to No.2, while Egypt’s Tarek Momen (No.3), New Zealand’s Paul Coll (No.4) and Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy (No.5) all complete the top five.

Karim Abdel Gawad (No.6), Fares Dessouky (No.7), Diego Elias (No.8), Mostafa Asal (No.9) and Joel Makin (No.10) also round off an otherwise unchanged top 10 for the men in August.

France’s Gregoire Marche has moved up a place to a career-high World Ranking of No.12 as Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar drops to No.16. Mazen Hesham rises two places to a joint career-high of No.13 in the world, which he last reached in December 2015.

Marche’s compatriot and former World No.1 Gregory Gaultier rises three places to join him in the men’s top 20 for the first time since April 2019 following a serious knee injury which saw him ruled out of action for 15 months. Meanwhile, Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim breaks into the top 20 for the first time in his career as he rises six places to No.18.

The rest of the top 20 includes Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez (No.11), India’s Saurav Ghosal (No.14), Egypt’s Zahed Salem (No.15), Omar Mosaad (No.16) and England’s James Willstrop (No.19).

The biggest movers on the men’s tour are Roee Avraham of Israel and Charlie Lee of England. Avraham moves up 405 spots to No.255 in the world, while Lee enjoys a rise of 248 places to No.412 after his semi-final finish at The Eriswell Challenge at St George’s Hill marked his first PSA Tour appearance since 2018.

PSA Men’s World Rankings Top 10 – August 2021

In the Women’s World Rankings, United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy moved up two spots to reach No.5.

Sobhy made history last month in Chicago when she became the first US-born player ever to reach the semi-finals of the PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family, where she lost to eventual winner Nour El Sherbini.

El Sherbini won her fifth World Championship crown and the 25-year-old remains at World No.1 ahead of the woman she beat in the final, Nouran Gohar. Gohar would have taken the World No.1 spot had she beaten El Sherbini in the title decider.

Nour El Tayeb remains at No.3, with France’s Camille Serme taking the final spot inside the top five.

England’s Sarah-Jane Perry stays at No.6, with Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy falling two spots to No.7 as she swaps places with Sobhy. Joelle King and Salma Hany take the No.8 and No.9 spots, respectively, while India’s Joshna Chinappa replaces Wales’ Tesni Evans in the top 10, marking the first time she has featured inside the top 10 since September, 2020.

Evans falls to No.11 ahead of Rowan Elaraby (No.12), Olivia Clyne (No.13), Nele Gilis (No.14) and Yathreb Adel, who moves up a place to No.15.

Nadine Shahin secures a career-high ranking of No.16 for August, while Alison Waters has dropped two places to No.17. Canada’s Hollie Naughton also celebrates a career-high ranking – moving up a spot to No.18 – while Tinne Gilis and Olivia Fiechter complete the top 20.

Meanwhile, England’s Lucy Beecroft is the second biggest mover on the women’s tour (after Yemisi Olatunji), moving up 175 places to No.124 after reaching the last 16 of the Squash on Fire Open and the last 64 of the PSA World Championships.

PSA Women’s World Rankings Top 10 – August 2021