Paul Coll is first Kiwi to reach top four since Ross Norman in 1989
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor
New Zealand’s Paul Coll has become the first Kiwi since Ross Norman in March, 1989 to reach the top four of the PSA Men’s World Rankings after the December rankings were released today.
Coll, the 28-year-old from Greymouth, reached the final of the Qatar Classic last month before falling to World No.1 Ali Farag. Coll, like Norman more than three decades ago, is rated one of the fittest players in the game.
Norman (pictured, inset) recovered from devastating injuries suffered in a parachuting incident to become world champion in Toulouse in 1986, ending the long unbeaten of the mighty Pakistani Jahangir Khan.
Coll has his sights on similar ambitions and was runner-up to Tarek Momen in the 2019-2020 World Championships in Qatar just over a year ago. In the December 2020 rankings, Coll rises a spot from No.5, with Karim Abdel Gawad going the other way.
Farag, who returned to World No.1 on November 1, retains that spot after winning his second Qatar Classic title, while Mohamed ElShorbagy and World Champion Tarek Momen complete the top three.
Marwan ElShorbagy (No.6) Diego Elias (No.7) and Simon Rösner (No.8) retain their places, while Joel Makin rises a spot to a joint career-high No.9 ranking, switching places with Miguel Rodriguez.
A semi-final finish in Qatar sees Fares Dessouky rise to No.11, with Mohamed Abouelghar falling to No.12. Saurav Ghosal, Mostafa Asal and Mazen Hesham complete the top 15.
Gregoire Marche moves up to No.16 as Omar Mosaad falls to No.17, while James Willstrop, Zahed Salem and Adrian Waller round off the top 20.
The biggest mover on the men’s tour this month is Qatar’s Abdulrahman Al-Malki, who moved up 158 places to World No.199 after appearing at the Qatar Classic, where he fell to England’s Declan James in round one.
PSA Men’s World Rankings Top 20 – December 2020.
Picture and graphic courtesy of PSA