Shabana Makes Breakthrough By Becoming Fourth Longest-Standing World No1

Amr Shabana celebrates his 15th month at the top of the Dunlop PSA Men's World Rankings, according to the new June list issued today by the Professional Squash Association - and thus the Egyptian becomes the fourth longest-standing world number one of all-time.

After sharing 14 months at the top of the prestigious list last month with Canadian Jonathon Power and Frenchman Thierry Lincou, the two-times world champion from Cairo has pushed the pair into fifth place - now taking fourth position exclusively behind former greats Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan from Pakistan, and England's Peter Nicol.

Amr Shabana won his first PSA Tour title in Mexico in 1999 and went on to amass 16 titles, including two World Open crowns (in 2003 and 2005). He first topped the world rankings in April last year.

There is further cause for Egyptian celebration in the new list as teen sensation Ramy Ashour moves up to a career-high No2 in the June rankings - just 42 points behind his illustrious compatriot.

The 19-year-old from Cairo shocked the squash world in April when he won the two biggest titles of the year - clinching the $200,000 Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open trophy and then the $120,000 Qatar Classic in Doha within six days, to bring his title haul for the year to four!

Australia's World Open champion David Palmer slips to three, ahead of Frenchmen Gregory Gaultier, at 4, and Thierry Lincou, at 5, in an otherwise unchanged top ten.

1 [1] Amr Shabana EGY
2 [3] Ramy Ashour EGY
3 [2] David Palmer AUS
4 [4] Gregory Gaultier FRA
5 [5] Thierry Lincou FRA
6 [6] Anthony Ricketts AUS
7 [7] James Willstrop ENG
8 [8] Nick Matthew ENG
9 [9] John White SCO
10 [10] Wael El Hindi EGY
11 [12] Karim Darwish EGY
12 [13] Stewart Boswell AUS
13 [11] Lee Beachill ENG
14 [14] Mohammed Abbas EGY
15 [15] Adrian Grant ENG
16 [16] Peter Barker ENG
17 [17] Olli Tuominen FIN
18 [18] Ong Beng Hee MAS
19 [19] Mohd Azlan Iskandar MAS
20 [20] Borja Golan ESP