British Open champion climbs up the rankings
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad Correspondent
Camille Serme has climbed up to number three in the WSA rankings behind Nicol David and Raneem El Welily.
While the Malaysian and Egyptian David retain their year-long positions in the June Women’s World Squash Rankings, title success in last month’s Allam British Open sees Serme become France’s first ever world top three player in the new list published today by the Women’s Squash Association.
Serme defied the odds in Hull to become the lowest-seeded player to win the women’s British Open trophy in the modern era, upsetting England’s former champion Laura Massaro in the surprise final.
The 26-year-old from Creteil, who maintained her stunning form in Bratislava two weeks later to win a fourth successive European Individual Championship title, leaps three places to a career-high No3.
Massaro, whose third successive British Open final appearance came after a two-month break from the game, retains fourth place – and re-establishes her status as the top-ranked Englishwoman in the list.
Hong Kong’s Annie Au moves back into the world top ten at No.10 after home soil title success in the HKFC International 25.
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry also records a career-best ranking in the June rankings. The 25-year-old from Kenilworth rises two places to No.12 after a first-ever quarter-final berth in the British Open.
But the biggest mover in the latest list is Malaysian Delia Arnold, the British Open giant-killer who catapults a mighty 14 places to a career-high No.15.
A qualifier in Hull, the 29-year-old from Selangor despatched the 5th, 11th and 2nd seeds in quick succession to claim a semi-final berth.
Habiba Mohamed and Emily Whitlock also celebrate first-time appearances in the world top 20. Mohamed, a 16-year-old from Egypt, moves to No.18 and becomes the elite group’s youngest player after reaching the final of the HKFC International – whilst a 12th Tour title at the CourtCare Open last month in Lancashire takes England’s 21-year-old Whitlock to No.20. Outside the top 20, Tesni Evans of Wales moves up from 31 to 28 after her win Sharm-el-Sheikh.
WSA World Rankings, June 2015:
June 2015 top 20 (inc. points average):
1 [1] Nicol David MAS 3,234
2 [2] Raneem El Welily EGY 2,886
3 [6] Camille Serme FRA 1,660
4 [4] Laura Massaro ENG 1,424
5 [5] Nour El Tayeb EGY 1,380
6 [3] Alison Waters ENG 1,346
7 [9] Nour El Sherbini EGY 1,013
8 [7] Low Wee Wern MAS 935
9 [8] Omneya Abdel Kawy EGY 913
10 [11] Annie Au HKG 741
11 [10] Amanda Sobhy USA 740
12 [14] Sarah-Jane Perry ENG 651
13 [13] Emma Beddoes ENG 623
14 [12] Rachael Grinham AUS 613
15 [29] Delia Arnold MAS 556
16 [15] Nouran Gohar EGY 552
17 [16] Jenny Duncalf ENG 545
18 [21] Habiba Mohamed EGY 491
19 [18] Dipika Pallikal IND 482
20 [23] Emily Whitlock ENG 449
For the complete WSA ranking list, see www.wsaworldtour.com