Egyptian ace is new world number one
By SEAN REUTHE
Egypt’s Ali Farag has overtaken compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy to become the new men’s World No.1 after the PSA Men’s World Rankings for March were released today (March 1).
Farag, the 26-year-old Harvard-graduate, will be the sixth Egyptian male to top the rankings, following in the footsteps of ElShorbagy, Karim Abdel Gawad, Ramy Ashour, Karim Darwish and Amr Shabana.
Cairo-born Farag earned top spot after coming back from two games down to beat ElShorbagy in the final of January’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
That win, coupled with ElShorbagy’s ranking points for the Windy City Open expiring yesterday, means Farag now boasts a higher points average. His first match as the World No.1 will be against Germany’s Simon Rösner in the semi-finals of the sport’s biggest tournament – the PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family.
ElShorbagy, Tarek Momen and Karim Abdel Gawad make it an all-Egyptian top four, while Rösner drops a place to No.5.
Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez rises to No.6, swapping places with New Zealand’s Paul Coll, with Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar rising a place to a career-high No.8 ranking.
Peru’s Diego Elias has moved up to a career-high ranking of No.9, while Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy drops two places to No.10.
France’s Gregory Gaultier rises one spot to No.11, swapping places with India’s Saurav Ghosal, with Omar Mosaad staying at No.13. Zahed Salem enjoys an eight-place increase to a career-high No.14 ranking, while former World No.1 James Willstrop rises to No.15.
Victory at the Pittsburgh Open has seen Frenchman Gregoire Marche rise 13 places to No.17 – marking the first time he has featured inside the top 20 – and he sits behind Germany’s Raphael Kandra.
Joel Makin celebrates a career-high ranking of No.18, while English duo Tom Richards and Declan James complete the top 20.
PSA Men’s World Rankings Top 20 – March 2019.
Pictures courtesy of PSA