Ramy Ashour Leads World Series Standings After Hong Kong
by Howard Harding
3 December 2012 - Egyptian Ramy Ashour has stretched his lead at the top of the Dunlop PSA World Series Standings after success in last week's Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Squash Open, the sixth and penultimate PSA World Series event of the year.
The 25-year-old world No4 from Cairo beat defending champion James Willstrop, the world number one from England, in the final on an all-glass show court spectacularly staged on the Hong Kong waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsui.
Ashour, the only winner of three PSA World Series events this year, leads second-placed Willstrop - winner of the North American Open in February - while Nick Matthew, the world champion from England, slips down to third place.
The top eight players in the World Series Standings at the end of the year will compete in the flagship ATCO PSA World Series Finals at The Queen's Club in London next month.
Only four players have already guaranteed their places in the London championship - with Ashour, Willstrop and Matthew joined by Frenchman Gregory Gaultier. The 29-year-old from Aix-en-Provence booked his place after reaching the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals, before going down to Ashour.
The assured quartet is followed by four players who still need positive results in the Qatar PSA World Championship which gets underway in Doha on Friday (7 December) following qualifying.
Defending champion Amr Shabana, the four-time world champion from Egypt, and compatriot Karim Darwish, both share fifth place with 140 points - with fellow Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy and Englishman Peter Barker just behind, each on 115 points.
But there are 'dark horses' lurking close behind: England's Adrian Grant and Germany's Simon Rosner - neither of whom has yet to compete in the World Series Finals - both share ninth place, with 85 points. A semi-final berth would put either in contention for a debut at Queen's, should any of those in the 5-8 places fall early in Doha.
Just five points further behind are England's Daryl Selby and Australian number one Cameron Pilley - who could also find themselves in Queen's with breakthrough performances in Doha.
Latest 2012 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings:
Position (Prev) Total
1 1 Ramy Ashour (EGY) 430
2 3 James Willstrop (ENG) 375
3 2 Nick Matthew (ENG) 360
4 4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 220
5= 5 Amr Shabana (EGY) 140
5= 6 Karim Darwish (EGY) 140
7= 6 Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 115
7= 8 Peter Barker (ENG) 115
9= 9 Simon Rosner (GER) 85
9= 9 Adrian Grant (ENG) 85
11= 12 Daryl Selby (ENG) 80
11= 12 Cameron Pilley (AUS) 80
13 9 Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 75
14 14 Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 70
15= 16 Saurav Ghosal (IND) 65
15= 24 Borja Golan (ESP) 65
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