WISPA: Perry powers into top three

Perry Powers Into World’s Top Three

Madeline Perry leaps three places to a career-high No3 in the latest Women’s World Squash Rankings to become the highest-ranked Irish woman of all-time in the April list published by the Women’s International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA).

The list is headed by Nicol David, the Malaysian who marks her 60th month as world number one, with England’s Jenny Duncalf celebrating her 13th successive month in second place.

But making the world top three is a remarkable achievement for Perry, the 34-year-old from Banbridge, near Belfast, who suffered a career-threatening head injury in October 2007 in Milan.

Winner of a twelfth Irish national title in December, Perry boasts eight Tour titles from 20 final appearances. After picking up her biggest title at the Australian Open last August, the new world number three reached her latest final at last month’sCIMB KL Open in Malaysia where, seeded seven, she ultimately went down to local favourite Nicol David.

The New Zealand hierarchy changes for the third time in three months as Joelle King overtakes Auckland’s Jaclyn Hawkes to reach a career-equalling-high No14.

And US teenager Amanda Sobhy moves up a single place to a best-ever No17. The 17-year-old left-hander from New York, the highest-ranked North American woman who became world junior champion last year, has already reached three Tour quarter-finals this year – and made the Harrow Greenwich Open semi-finals in January as a qualifier.

Also celebrating a career-high ranking in the new list is England’s Sarah Kippax. The 27-year-old from Halifax has already made the quarter-finals of two WISPA World Tour events this year unseeded.

April top 20 (inc. points average):

For the complete WISPA ranking list, see www.wispa.net