Nicol David Extends Top World Ranking Reign

Nicol David moves into her 17th successive month at the top of the Women's World Rankings, according to the December list published today by the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) - thus establishing the longest unbroken run as world number one since Sarah Fitz-Gerald's two-year reign ended in November 1998.

The 24-year-old Malaysian completes her first full calendar year as No1 after the best year of her career, in which she won eight WISPA World Tour titles from ten final appearances.

Australia's Grinham sisters occupy the next two positions - Netherlands-based Natalie Grinham at two, and the 2007 British Open and World Open champion Rachael Grinham, based in Cairo, in third place.

Natalie Grainger, winner of the Carol Weymuller US Open title at the weekend, consolidates her position at No4. Since becoming a US citizen at the beginning of this year, the 30-year-old from Washington DC has 'rewarded' her new home country by becoming not only the US National and US Open champion - but also the Pan American Games gold medallist.

Grainger's Carol Weymuller success in New York brought her tally of WISPA World Tour titles on home soil this year to five!

English players are converging on the top position - with Manchester's Vicky Botwright rising one place to No6, behind Lincolnshire's Tania Bailey at No5 - and Yorkshire's Jenny Duncalf leaping three places to No7 after reaching the quarter-finals of last month's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open and the final of the Carol Weymuller US Open.

New Zealand's Jaclyn Hawkes moves to a career-high world No18 in the new list. The 25-year-old from Auckland was a surprise finalist in both the Dayton Open and Irish Open earlier this year.

1 [1] Nicol David MAS
2 [2] Natalie Grinham AUS
3 [3] Rachael Grinham AUS
4 [4] Natalie Grainger USA
5 [5] Tania Bailey ENG
6 [7] Vicky Botwright ENG
7 [10] Jenny Duncalf ENG
8 [8] Vanessa Atkinson NED
9 [6] Omneya Abdel Kawy EGY
10 [9] Shelley Kitchen NZL
11 [14] Alison Waters ENG
12 [12] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro ENG
13 [11] Madeline Perry IRL
14 [13] Rebecca Chiu HKG
15 [15] Kasey Brown AUS
16 [16] Engy Kheirallah EGY
17 [17] Isabelle Stoehr FRA
18 [19] Jaclyn Hawkes NZL
19 [18] Dominique Lloyd-Walter ENG
20 [20] Sharon Wee MAS