Amr Shabana Holds Onto World Number One Ranking

Despite being out of action throughout the first month of the New Year, Egypt's Amr Shabana maintains his grip on the world number one ranking, according to the February Dunlop PSA Men's World Rankings, published today by the Professional Squash Association.

While the 28-year-old from Cairo has been recovering from acute tendonitis in his wrist, his compatriot Ramy Ashour picked up the first PSA Super Series title of the year - winning the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions in New York to cement his place in second place in the list. The pair are expected to meet head-to-head in the final of the Pace Canadian Classic later in the month in Toronto.

England's James Willstrop, runner-up in New York, also fails to move from sixth place - but is now less than a point behind compatriot Nick Matthew, the No5 behind third-placed Frenchman Gregory Gaultier and No4 David Palmer, from Australia.

Egypt's Wael El Hindi is the highest mover, returning to his career-high ninth place after reaching the Tournament of Champions' quarter-finals.

Englishman Lee Beachill, who makes his first PSA Tour appearance this year at the Case Swedish Open next week after undergoing hernia surgery early in the New Year, returns to the top ten - at 10 - for the first time for almost a year.

A three-place jump to 15 is achieved this month by Adrian Grant, the English left-hander who won the Comfort Inn Open in Vancouver last month.

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