Nicol David Marks 9 Years As Women’s World No.1 by Nathan Clarke July 1, 2015
- 31-year-old Malaysian Nicol David has maintained her hold on the
Women’s World No.1 ranking for a remarkable 108th consecutive month,
and 111th month altogether, after topping the July 2015 Women’s World
Rankings - meaning the Penang-born star celebrates an incredible
nine-years uninterrupted as the number one player in women’s squash.
David’s unprecedented streak began in 2006 and since then she has
dominated the women’s game, collecting a plethora of high-profile
tournament titles including eight World Championships in what has been
a trophy-laden decade.
"It certainly feels special and I can't believe that I have been World No.1 for nine years - the time has flown by," said David
"Sometimes I get so caught up on working on getting better and
improving myself that it's only when I take a bit of time off to
reflect that I come to terms with it - I think I might only fully
comprehend the magnitude of everything when I step out of the game, but
that's not going to be happening anytime soon.
"Squash still has a lot to offer that keeps me going. The experience
that I get when I win an event, after all the hard work and dedication
to training pays off, is such a thrill that nothing can replace it.
"That keeps me motivated and my goals now are to stay on top of my game
throughout the new season and to do my best at each tournament and to
enjoy every moment that I am competing on these spectacular glass
courts around the world.
"I think it's going to be an exciting year with everyone pushing the
competition on but I'm really looking forward to the challenge."
However, despite holding on to her No.1 position for yet another month
Egyptian shot-making sensation Raneem El Welily has narrowed the gap
between herself and David to within touching distance following her
impressive romp to the title at the Alexandria International Open,
Women’s International 100 event in June.
El Welily saw off compatriot and best friend Omneya Abdel Kawy, who
climbs two places to World No.7 in the July list, 3-0 in the final of
the tournament to win her third major title of 2015 - adding to the
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions and Guggenheim Partners Windy City
Open title she won in January and March, respectively.
El Welily’s latest title-winning performance sees her narrow the gap to
less than 50 points as she looks to end the Malaysian’s reign as the
top rated squash player in the world.
Elsewhere American starlet Amanda Sohby, who recently celebrated
graduating from Harvard University with a degree in social
anthropology, returns to the top ten to occupy the World No.10 position
courtesy of her last 16 finish at the Alexandria Open.
The other movers inside the top 20 are Nouran Gohar, Jenny Duncalf and
Dipika Pallikal who all move up one position while New Zealander Elanor
Epke celebrates the biggest jump through the Women’s Rankings this
month, climbing an impressive 89 places to a career high World No.141
after unexpectedly reaching the semi-final of the Squashways Canterbury
International Open - knocking out two top seeded players in the process.
