Nicol David Breaks Into World Top Three

While Australia's Rachael Grinham retains her status as world number one in the new June Women's World Squash Rankings, published today by the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA), Nicol David rises to a career-high No3 to become the highest-ranked Malaysian squash player of all-time.

David has grabbed the world's headlines since emerging as a junior in 1996, when she won the first of two British Junior U14 Open titles. Now based in the Netherlands, the 21-year-old from Penang went on to become the only woman to win two world junior titles, then continued her record-breaking career on the WISPA World Tour in March when she claimed the Kuwait Open crown, her fifth and biggest professional title.

Nicol David has overtaken Australia's Natalie Grinham, now at four in the new list, and is behind second-placed Vanessa Atkinson - the world champion from the Netherlands whom she is expected to meet in this weekend's Dutch Open semi-finals.

Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy moves up to eight, her highest position for four months, while England's Tania Bailey also rises one position to mark her return to the top ten after a nineteen-month absence.

Two other Englishwomen are also upwardly-mobile: Londoner Alison Waters, boosted by an unexpected appearance in the semi-finals of last month's Hurghada International in Egypt, moves up to a career-best 17; while Laura-Jane Lengthorn returns to the top twenty at 19.

1 [1] Rachael Grinham AUS
2 [2] Vanessa Atkinson NED
3 [4] Nicol David MAS
4 [3] Natalie Grinham AUS
5 [5] Natalie Grainger USA
6 [6] Linda Elriani ENG
7 [7] Vicky Botwright ENG
8 [10] Omneya Abdel Kawy EGY
9 [9] Jenny Duncalf ENG
10 [11] Tania Bailey ENG
11 [8] Jenny Tranfield ENG
12 [12] Madeline Perry IRL
13 [13] Shelley Kitchen NZL
14 [14] Annelize Naude NED
15 [16] Isabelle Stoehr FRA
16 [15] Fiona Geaves ENG
17 [18] Alison Waters ENG
18 [17] Rebecca Chiu HKG
19 [21] Laura-Jane Lengthorn ENG
20 [20] Pamela Nimmo SCO