Happy New Year as Weybridge champion climbs 13 places
By NATHAN CLARKE
After securing the biggest title win of his career during December’s PSA M100 Channel VAS Championship, New Zealand’s Paul Coll has jumped a colossal 13 places on the January PSA Men’s World Rankings, to break into the World’s Top 20 for the first time in his career. He becomes the first New Zealander since Ross Norman in 1995 to break the Top 20.
Super-ft Coll, known as The Machine, stunned the field to triumph in Weybridge, England, coming through qualification before downing a succession of higher ranked opponents to claim the prize.
He has been rewarded with a seismic jump in the rankings that also sees him become just the sixth Kiwi man ever to reach the Top 20 after Norman, who reached a career high of No.2, Stuart Davenport (3), Bruce Brownlee (6), Rory Watt (14) and Paul Steel (18).
Egyptian Tarek Momen, the man Coll beat in last month’s title-decider, also jumps up three places to World No.8 – his highest position since May 2016 – as part of a seven-strong Egyptian contingent occupying places amongst the Top 10, led by 25-year-old Mohamed ElShorbagy, who maintains his place at the summit of the men’s rankings for a 14th consecutive month.
A recent return to form for former World No.1 James Willstrop, the 33-year-old Englishman, see him sitting on the cusp of breaking into the Top 10 for the first time since undergoing career-threatening hip surgery in 2014 as he climbs four places to No.11, just ahead of rising Egyptian talent Fares Dessouky, who advances two places to No.14.
England’s Daryl Selby, Spaniard Borja Golan and Hong Kong’s Max Lee all move up one position inside the Top 20 while Australian Cameron Pilley is the biggest faller this month, dropping six places to No.18, just above compatriot Ryan Cuskelly,
PSA Men’s World Rankings Top 20 – January 2017
Picture and graphic courtesy of PSA