Pakistan players fall in squash rankings

Atlas still country’s highest-ranked at 32nd in the world

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top squash players, who were in the top-100 list, fell in the new April PSA Men’s World Squash Rankings, published by the Professional Squash Association.

Pakistan’s top squash player Amir Atlas Khan fell three places and he now sits at 32. Amir reached the final of last month’s Pakistan International Squash Circuit-I held in Lahore where he was the top-seed but his loss to qualifier Aqib Hanif meant he fell from his earlier ranking of 14. Hanif, meanwhile, improved his ranking from 176th to 120th.

Lahore-based Yasir Butt slumped seven places to 64th and left-hander Farhan Mehboob fell seven spots to now sit 79th. Danish Atlas dropped 10 places to 99th but 19-year-old Farhan Zaman entered the top-100 with a career best ranking of 97 after rising six places.

Meanwhile, England’s James Willstrop has extended his lead at the top after reaching the final of the PSA International 50 Canary Wharf Classic last month. Despite successfully defending the London title, fellow countryman Nick Matthew  remained in third, just behind Frenchman Gregory Gaultier.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2012.