Watanabe Becomes First Japanese Player to Reach Top 15

18 March 2024

Satomi Watanabe has become the first player from Japan to reach the top 15 of the PSA Women’s World Rankings following her triumph over Belgium’s Nele Gilis in the final of the Optasia Championships last night.

Here’s our look at the most notable movers of the week, as of Monday March 18.

Satomi Watanabe

Previous Ranking: No.19

New Ranking: No.15

25-year-old Watanabe captured the biggest title of her career after a stunning 3-0 victory over World No.4 Gilis in London.

Seeded fourth for the event, Watanabe overcame England’s Torrie Malik in her opening match before winning a crucial quarter-final clash with France’s Melissa Alves by a 3-2 margin. She followed that up with a 3-0 dismantling of No.6 seed Jasmine Hutton, before defeating Gilis to take the inaugural women’s title at the Optasia Championships.

Lucy Beecroft

Previous Ranking: No.25

New Ranking: No.22

England’s Lucy Beecroft has reached a career-high ranking of No.22 in the world after moving up three spots this week.

The 27-year-old saw a medical zero for last year’s St. James Women’s 20K Classic presented by Expression Networks expire, meaning her points average increased this week, leading to her move up the rankings.

Jasmine Hutton

Previous Ranking: No.24

New Ranking: No.23

British Nationals champion Jasmine Hutton has risen a spot to No.23 after reaching the semi-finals of the Optasia Championships.

It marked the first time the 24-year-old had reached the last four of a PSA World Tour Bronze event, where she enjoyed a notable win over compatriot and No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry in five games.

Tesni Murphy