Ramy Ashour Strengthens Grip On World No1 Ranking

A runners-up berth in last month's El Gouna International Open in Egypt - his fourth successive appearance in a PSA World Tour final - has strengthened Ramy Ashour's grip on the world number one ranking, according to the November Dunlop PSA Men's World Squash Rankings published by the Professional Squash Association.

After title triumphs in the Hong Kong Open in August, and the British Grand Prix in September, the 23-year-old Egyptian reached the climax of the seventh PSA Super Series event of the year in the Red Sea resort of El Gouna.

But an ankle injury midway through the match caused Ashour to concede the title to compatriot Karim Darwish - whose maiden Super Series win of the year has helped lift the 29-year-old from Cairo two places to No3 in the latest list, Darwish's highest ranking this year.

England's Nick Matthew holds onto second place, with fellow countryman James Willstrop also retaining fourth place after reaching the final of the British Grand Prix.

A significant leap of five places is made by Egypt's Wael El Hindi, who is at 10 in the new list. The New York-based 30-year-old kicked off last month in blistering style by winning the METROsquash US Open in Chicago - his first Tour title in more than two years.

And there is further cause for Egyptian celebration in the top 20 where Omar Mosaad marks his career-best ranking of 16, after a jump of five places. The 22-year-old from Cairo claimed two Tour titles in January in the USA - then last month followed an unexpected semi-final berth in the US Open by reaching the last eight of the El Gouna International unseeded!

November top 20 (inc. points average):

For full list - see www.psa-squash.com