New Power Players in PSA Top-10

Amr Shabana (L) and Gregory Gaultier
Amr Shabana (L) and Gregory Gaultier

Winning two major titles (the Hungarian and US Opens) and getting oh so close to becoming World Champion. Making it to the final of the Hong Kong Open by defeating the likes of John White, Thierry Lincou and David Palmer. That was 2006 for France’s Gregory Gaultier and Egypt’s Ramy Ashour. One of their rewards came in the January PSA rankings, which saw Gaultier move up to World No. 3, ahead of fellow Frenchman Thierry Lincou for the first time, who fell to No. 4. Nineteen-year-old Ashour moved up one spot to No. 6, after making it to the semifinals of both the Pakistan and US Opens. Ashour is the only teenager ranked in the top 30. Players who have had long stays in the top-10 saw some significant drops after recent shaky performances. Australia’s Anthony Ricketts fell four spots to No. 10 and England’s Lee Beachill dropped out of the top-10 to No. 12. Amr Shabana and David Palmer retained their positions at No. 1 and 2, respectively.