Welshman is highest-ranked British male on PSA Tour
By ALAN THATCHER and SEAN REUTHE

Joel Makin is the highest-ranked male player in Great Britain after climbing to a career-best position of 12 in the latest PSA World Rankings for May.

Makin has made solid progress under coach Robert Owen with significant progress over the past two years.

He has added more depth, tactical options and a greater awareness of the mental side of the game to his renowned strength, speed and fitness.

The 24-year-old Birmingham-based Welshman came close to a magnificent win over Karim Abdel Gawad in the Tournament of Champions in New York in January before conceding the match after twisting his ankle.

His progress is not unlike that achieved by New Zealander Paul Coll, who recently beat Makin on the way to winning the biggest title of his career, the Citigold Canary Wharf Classic in March.

Coll, who has dropped a place to six the May rankings, has added similar guile, consistency and skill to his physical presence and Makin will be targeting a similar path into the top ten.

A semi-final finish at last week’s El Gouna International Open has seen Egypt’s Fares Dessouky rise 24 places to World No.18 after the PSA Men’s World Rankings for May were released today (May 1).

Dessouky, a former World No.8, had been ranked outside of the top 20 for 12 months as he recovered from a torn ACL sustained in November 2017.

The 24-year-old was in fine form in El Gouna as he beat the likes of World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy and World No.7 Miguel Rodriguez en route to the semi-finals as he reached the last four of a PSA Platinum tournament for the first time in two years.

Eventual El Gouna International winner Ali Farag tops the men’s rankings for a third successive month ahead of ElShorbagy, while Tarek Momen ensures that it’s an all-Egyptian top three for a fourth month in a row.

El Gouna finalist Karim Abdel Gawad moves up two places to No.4, while Germany’s Simon Rösner completes the top five.

Coll slips a place to No.6, with Colombia’s Rodriguez staying at No.7. Peru’s Diego Elias rises to a career-high No.8 ranking after winning the Macau Open in April. He swaps places with Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar, while India’s Saurav Ghosal stays at No.10.

Egypt’s Omar Mosaad rises a place to No.11, with Makin rising three spots to a career-high No.12 ranking. Germany’s Raphael Kandra also reaches a career-high position, moving up one place to No.13, to sit ahead of Egyptian Zahed Salem and England’s Declan James, who also now occupies a career-high No.15 ranking.

Frenchman Gregoire Marche is the fifth player in the top 20 to reach a career-high ranking this month as he moves up two spots to No.16. Former World No.1 James Willstrop, Dessouky, Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly and England’s Daryl Selby complete the top 20.

Meanwhile, former world champion Gregory Gaultier has dropped out of the top 20 for the first time since April 2003. The Frenchman has not played on the PSA Tour since October 2018 due to surgery on a knee injury and has fallen 13 places to No.26.

Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy also drops out of the top 20, and is at his lowest ranking since April 2014 after falling 10 places to No.21.

PSA Men’s World Rankings Top 20 – May 2019.

Pictures and courtesy of PSA and PATRICK LAUSON