Season Preview: Men’s Top 10 Battle

As the new PSA World Tour season draws ever closer, we’ve taken a look at some of the fascinating battles that await us over the next 12 months. Among those most exciting is the fight for the final few spots in the top ten of the men’s rankings, with a whole host of players vying for these coveted positions.

Joel Makin – World No.9

A fit and firing Joel Makin is a dangerous prospect for any player to face, and on the evidence of the latter stages of the 23/24 season, the Welshman looks to have hit this sweet spot. After a 23/24 campaign in which he played through a persistent hamstring issue and recorded some up-and-down results, Makin came strong in the closing two events of his season: The Manchester Open and British Open.

After winning the Silver-level title at the Manchester Open, the 29-year-old admitted his body was “feeling really good” and he backed this up by becoming the first Welshman in 24 years to reach the semi-finals of the British Open, recording wins over Tarek Momen, Youssef Ibrahim and current World Champion Diego Elias along the way.

If Makin can continue to deliver the performances which many witnessed at The Rep Theatre in Birmingham, he will certainly be one to watch heading into next season. He is currently sat at World No.9 on 738 ranking points and will be looking to close the gap to Mohamed ElShorbagy and Tarek Momen above him. As long as Makin can keep the injuries away, he will stand a good chance of doing so.

Marwan ElShorbagy – World No.10

Marwan ElShorbagy will be hoping to put a tough 23/24 season behind him as he looks to push himself back into the top eight in the men’s rankings.

The last time ‘The Jackal’ was ranked outside the top ten in the rankings was back in September 2019, and with a number of top players hot on his heels, the Englishman will need a sharp start to the season to keep this streak intact.

However, there are few better in the pressure and big-game moments than ElShorbagy. The 31-year-old has a wealth of experience to call upon at Platinum events compared to those around him in the rankings. His record against top players such as Ali Farag is plain evidence of this. ElShorbagy is one of few players who almost matches the World No.1 for wins in the head-to-head records, with the Englishman having won eight of there 17 matches.

If ElShorbagy can reproduce this kind of form, he will be looking at those ahead of him rather than those behind him in the world rankings.

Victor Crouin – World No.11

France No.1 Victor Crouin showed flashes of brilliance in the 23/24 season, but they came a little too few and far between for the 25-year-old to keep his spot in the world’s top ten.

After a superb season prior to last, in which he memorably reached the Qatar Classic final, Crouin was a little inconsistent to maintain his World No.7 position which he started the season.

However, there is no doubt that Crouin can return to the flying form of two seasons ago. The Frenchman still managed to record some highlight victories over Paul Coll at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, and Tarek Momen at the Windy City Open last season. These were the Frenchman’s two best results at Platinum events, making the last four in New York and the quarter-finals in Chicago.

The 19-time PSA Tour winner will look to draw on performances such as these as the new season approaches and he targets a position back in the top ten, but he will have to overcome the issue of no longer having a top eight seeding in the Platinum events, and therefore being awarded tougher draws in the early rounds.

Youssef Soliman – World No.12

Youssef Soliman has been on the brink of the top ten of the men’s world rankings for the past two seasons, and the 27-year-old will now be looking to take the next step to tread new ground in his career.

On the surface, there are no weaknesses in the Egyptian’s game. He has brilliant athleticism, good speed around the court and the technical ability to match, but if he is to break into the top ten for the first time in his career, he will need to bring it all together at Platinum events. Last season, Soliman won a pair of Bronze-level titles with a string of impressive performances at the Australian Open and Squash on Fire Open, but failed to progress beyond the last 16 of a Platinum event, falling to the likes of Diego Elias, Mostafa Asal, Mohamed ElShorbagy and Miguel Rodriguez at this stage.

And with the most ranking points available at these high-tier events, these could prove crucial to Soliman and his chances of progressing up the rankings.

Eain Yow Ng – World No.13

Eain Yow Ng continued his steady rise through the top 20 in the world rankings over the course of last season, with the former World Junior Champion only getting better as the season progressed.

Eye-catching victories over the likes of Karim Abdel Gawad at the British Open and Joel Makin at the German Open also highlighted there could still more to come from the former Eain Yow, with the top ten now looking within reach.

Currently ranked at World No.13, Eain Yow is a few strong Platinum performances away from putting himself in contention for a top ten ranking. These Platinum and Diamond events will certainly be the area which the Malaysian No.1 will look to make gains heading into the new campaign, having progressed beyond the second round just once from seven attempts.

Aly Abou Eleinen – World No.14

Much like Eain Yow, Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen has continued to impress over the last 12 months, with the young Egyptian proving he has the game to disrupt anybody in the world on his day.

For much of the season, Eleinen was on the verge of some big breakthrough victories, taking the likes of Karim Abdel Gawad to five games at both the Houston Open and Black Ball Open, and the 24-year-old got his reward at the El Gouna International, where he defeated No.7 seed Mazen Hesham in the second-round and Marwan ElShorbagy in the subsequent Round 3 match.

There is plenty to suggest that Eleinen can continue his rise up the world rankings, having reached World No.14 after just three full seasons and 111 matches on the PSA Tour. When he broke into the top 20 for the first time back in October, Eleienen said he was ‘absolutely aiming higher”, with his eyes firmly set on the top ten.

It seems there is certainly no lack of motivation as the 3-time PSA Tour winner looks to take the next steps in his burgeoning career.

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