WORLD SQUASH NEWS
Carol Owens Takes Over As World No1
New Zealand's Carol Owens celebrates her victory in last week's Arader &
O'Rourke Tournament of Champions in New York by taking over the No1 position
in the new March Women's World Squash Rankings, announced today (03 March) by
the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA).
Owens, the 31-year-old former Australian now based in Auckland, had to fight
back from 2-0 down to overcome USA's Natalie Pohrer in the final at Grand
Central Station to claim unequivocally the world No1 title vacated by
Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald on the announcement last month of her Tour
retirement.
Owens has enjoyed an illustrious international career in which she has
competed in more than 120 WISPA events since 1990. Winner of the World Open
title in November 2000, Owens claimed her 22nd WISPA title last week in her
44th final.
Natalie Pohrer moves up to a career-high No2 in the new list, ahead of former
English compatriots Linda Charman, at No3, and Tania Bailey, who rises three
places to a best-ever No4.
England's Cassie Jackman, a semi-finalist in the Tournament of Champions in
her first major event since undergoing back surgery last September, also
moves up the list to No6 - while another Englishwoman Rebecca Macree
registers a career-high No8 ranking in the March list, as does Australia's
Natalie Grinham at No9.
England's Jenny Tranfield, the Sports Psychology PhD who was the only
unseeded player to reach the Tournament of Champions' quarter-finals, is
rewarded with a career-high world No11 ranking - seven positions higher than
the Netherlands' Annelize Naude who boasts a best-ever No18 position.
France will be represented in the world top twenty for the first time
following the three-place leap by 23-year-old Isabelle Stoehr to a
career-high No19 position.
1 [2] Carol Owens NZL
2 [3] Natalie Pohrer USA
3 [4] Linda Charman ENG
4 [7] Tania Bailey ENG
5 [5] Rachael Grinham AUS
6 [8] Cassie Jackman ENG
7 [6] Vanessa Atkinson NED
8 [9] Rebecca Macree ENG
9 [10] Natalie Grinham AUS
10 [11] Fiona Geaves ENG
11 [13] Jenny Tranfield ENG
12 [12] Stephanie Brind ENG
13 [14] Omneya Abdel Kawy EGY
14 [16] Pamela Nimmo SCO
15 [17] Vicky Botwright ENG
16 [15] Suzanne Horner ENG
17 [18] Shelley Kitchen NZL
18 [20] Annelize Naude NED
19 [22] Isabelle Stoehr FRA
20 [19] Ellen Petersen DEN