KL Success Extends David's Lead As World Number One

Victory in last month's CIMB Kuala Lumpur Open strengthens Malaysian Nicol David's grip on the world number one ranking, according to the new April Women's World Rankings, published today by the Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA).

David, the 23-year-old from Penang who is unbeaten now on the WISPA World Tour for more than a year, begins her ninth successive month at the top of the rankings - ahead of KL Open runner-up Natalie Grinham, from Australia, at two, and her sister Rachael Grinham, at three.

While England's Tania Bailey and Vicky Botwright are at four and five, respectively, in the new list, compatriot Alison Waters jumps two places to a career-high No9.

The 22-year-old from London has made steady progress since breaking into the world top 20 - and followed her success of reaching the semi-finals at December's Monte Carlo Classic by making it to the last four of the Greenwich Open early in the New Year.

Lower in the list, New Zealand's Jaclyn Hawkes celebrates a career-best 21 ranking after reaching the final of the Dayton Open in January and quarter-finals of the Burning River Cleveland Classic in the USA last month.

Italian Manuela Manetta, who won the Creteil Open International in March to clinch her second WISPA World Tour title in three months, jumps five places to an all-time high No28.

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

For the complete WISPA ranking list, see www.wispa.net