NICOL DAVID
Nicol David is the most successful Malaysian female squash player of all time. In a glittering junior career, the Penang-born star won the Women’s World Junior title in style in Belgium in June 1999, then became the first person ever to claim the title for a second time- beating her great rival Omneya Abdel Kawy in the final in her home town of Penang two years later in 2001.
She moved inexorably up the senior rankings to become a fixture in the top flight. For one so young the accolades keep coming, including being invited to carry the Olympic torch for Malaysia during the build up to the Athens Olympics in 2004 and being appointed a UN goodwill ambassador.
Perhaps the main plank which completed the building of an athletic retriever into a rounded tactician was a move to Amsterdam in 2003 to be based with former star Liz Irving. Results slowly picked up until in 2004 she reached the World Open semi final in her home country. A year later she won the British Open then beat Rachael Grinham in the World Open final in December 2005 to claim the title and send the Malaysian media into overdrive. The country’s Prime Minister exclaimed that the small ever smiling star was more famous than he was!
The headlines continued unabated when she took over as world number one in the January 2006 rankings.
The momentum slackened under the weight of awards and other distractions in early 2006, with top ranking being lost in April, but on the back of further Tour wins she regained the number one ranking in August 2006.
The following months were spent cementing this position with six Tour titles in a row, including a second British Open crown and a second World Open title won in Belfast in November 2006.
It wasn't until April 2007 that her thirteen month fifty one match unbeaten streak came to an end when Natalie Grinham beat her in the final of the Seoul Open. But she has since followed that defeat with a further three titles on the roll – the CIMB Malaysian Open, CIMB Singapore Masters and in September the Forexx Dutch Open.
However, a match ball squandered at 2/1 up in the final of the British Open was costly as she lost that match to Rachael Grinham, and then relinquished her hold on the World Open crown when she was beaten by New Zealander Shelley Kitchen in the last 16, the first time she had failed to make a WISPA last eight for the first time since April 2004, a run of 36 events.
But these blips were put behind her when she took the last two events of the year the Qatar Classic and Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open; and then opened her 2008 account by winning the first four events she entered, including regaining her British Open crown and the Seoul Open title. The CIMB Malaysian Open, CIMB Singapore masters and Forexx Dutch Open completed the unbeaten nine events in a row.
But by the end of the year she had been unbeaten in 53 matches, won twelve Tour titles in a row, including regaining the World Open crown in October in Manchester, England, and completed 30 months in world number one spot. Not a bad run!
In March 2009 the unbeaten streak came to an end after 56 matches when Natalie Grainger beat her 3/2 in the final of the KL Open. Time to start rebuilding another run!
Small and slight, the girl nicknamed the Duracell Bunny is certainly spellbindingly fast, a great retriever, but also now a fully rounded attacking force too. She threatens to take a strong grip on the top ranking for a while to come.
RACHAEL GRINHAM
Rachael has a great pedigree as a squash player. Winner of the World Junior title in 1993 aged 16, she had an opportunity to defend in 1995, but was beaten by Jade Wilson (NZ) in the final.
Since joining the WISPA World Tour during 1994, her array of strokes and strong 
temperament initially took her steadily towards the top 20, a barrier she finally breached in the middle of 1997.
At the Commonwealth Games in 1998 her partnership with Robyn Cooper brought them a silver medal in the Women’s Doubles. A family final finally first happened at a WISPA World Tour event in Malaysia in February 2001 when she beat sister Natalie. Arguably, the 2003 British Open was the turning point for the – who pulled off a stunning semi-final upset over the top seed, Carol Owens, then the World No 1, before beating Cassie Jackman in the final to claim the title for the first time. It was a title she was to retain in 2004.
She has based herself in Cairo for a few years and it had proved to be a great place to hone her game. She may be slight in stature, but there is no doubting her tenaciousness, which saw her become world number one in August 2004. She held top spot until November 2005.
December 2005 saw her reach the final of the World Open in Hong Kong, only to be beaten by Malaysia’s Nicol David.
David and Vanessa Atkinson pushed her down to number three in the rankings at the start of 2006, but apart from tilting at WISPA Tour titles, she claimed Commonwealth Games Gold in Melbourne early in the year when she teamed up with sister Natalie to win the Women’s Doubles title and another family final resulted in a silver medal for her with Natalie taking gold in the singles at the same Games.
Finally in October 2006 Rachael broke her run of being beaten in WISPA Tour finals when after a run of four defeats she triumphed at the Weymuller US Open.
Last year Rachael added two World Tour titles to her name, The Alexandria Open and Hurghada International, and was beaten by Nicol David in the last three ‘majors’, losing to the Malaysian in the semis of the CIMB Malaysian Open and CIMB Singapore Masters, then most recently in the final of the Forexx Dutch Open.
That Dutch final place was a sign of improving self confidence, amply illustrated by her playing very well, saving a final match ball against Nicol David before going on to take her third British Open title. And this was followed by something more special in October 2007 when in Madrid she beat her sister Natalie to take the World Open title for the first time.
Since that career topping moment she lost to sister Natalie in the final of the Monte Carlo Classic and started 2008 in patchy form, giving up her British Open crown when she lost to England’s Jenny Duncalf in the quarter finals. However, signs that she is going up through the gears again were evident when she reached the final of the Seoul Open in June 2008 before going down to Nicol David.
Further evidence of Grinham’s form were a semi final slot in the CIMB Malaysian Open, followed by going one better by reaching the final of the CIMB Singapore Masters the week after. In both cases Nicol David thwarted her, but these results together with winning the Alexandria Open helped her move ahead of sister Natalie and regain second slot in the WISPA rankings. However a quarter final loss to Alison Waters in the Forexx Dutch Open in early September was a setback.
She was unable to hold on to her World Open title in October – beaten by local girl Vicky Botwright in a last 16 upset. Then in Qatar she lost to sister Natalie in an epic 12 / 10 in the fifth semi final before gaining sisterly revenge in Hong Kong where she reached the final before losing to Nicol David.
In between there had been a semi final exit to Shelley Kitchen in the Carol Weymuller Open in New York, with the year ending with two final defeats. First to Jenny Duncalf in Sharm El Sheikh and then Laura Lengthorn-Massaro in Monte Carlo.
Now that she has moved to Netherlands and will have the spur of sparring with sister Natalie there, maybe 2009 will see her attacking the top spot again.
JENNY DUNCALF
Jenny is a past winner of the European Junior title, and other milestones are slowly being ticked off, including reaching the world top ten (in March 2005) and playing in England’s women’s team.
Talented and athletic, Jenny is clearly beginning to make her mark in the upper 
reaches of the world rankings. An indication of her development would be the win she scored over higher ranked Natalie Grainger in the first round of the Tournament of Champions in February 2005.
She also ended 2005 on a high beating Vicky Botwright to win the Prince Canary Islands Open.
There were mixed results in 2006 for the Harrogate, England based player, but she is such a good athlete with strong skills to match that it was only a matter of time before she was back on form.
However, if nothing else she could point to being part of the England side which triumphed at the World Teams in Canada in September 2006. And since then she showed that her confidence & game were blossoming as she won her national title for the first time in 2007 & was a semi finalist in the Seoul Open in Korea during April.
Her improved confidence was clear in her play as the year progressed.
Reaching the final of the Carol Weymuller US Open in November 2007 and also taking runner up slot in the Hurghada International in April 2008 did reinforce the conclusion that her top ten status was being consolidated; and this became more obvious when the British Open draw opened up and she reached her first British Open final in May 2008, only to be stopped by Nicol David.
This helped propel her up to a career best equalling six in the rankings, but this was bettered when she reached number five spot for the first time in August 2008 after quarter final placings in the CIMB Malaysian Open and Singapore Masters.
While momentum was maintained with a semi final finish at the World Open in October 2008, it was also an opportunity missed too. She had upset Natalie Grinham in the quarters only to beaten herself by surprise package Vicky Botwright in the last four. But the year did end on a high when she won the Sharm El Sheikh Open, beating Rachael Grinham in the final.
ALISON WALTERS
After a junior career which saw her win national titles, the pinnacle was reached for the North London girl when she a member of the England team which won the World Junior title in Penang in 2001. Since then after turning professional she climbed the rankings and in 2005 she became the first unseeded player in the history of the British National championship to reach the final – in only her second appearance in the event!
The Londoner went on to claim her first WISPA title later in the month, winning the 
Southport Open in the USA. Alison continues to make her mark on the WISPA Tour at a rapid rate – winning her player associations ‘Most Improved Player of the Year ‘ award in December 2005 for the second year in a row.
After making it through to the quarter-finals of the British Open as a qualifier in October, then the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Classic in November, Alison reached a career high world number 12 in December. The next target of a place in the top ten has been reached based upon her strong game and phlegmatic nature as she continued to be a threat to all top ranked players.
In September 2006 she added the world senior team title to her junior one when England took the title in Edmonton, Canada.
Then in 2007 she stormed to the final of the British Nationals before being beaten by Jenny Duncalf. After a flat spell which followed this she took strong steps forward in the first half of 2008, starting with reaching the final of the Harrow Greenwich Open in January, beating Omneya Abdel Kawy on the way. Then in February she became British National Champion, and March saw the Londoner beating world champion Rachael Grinham in the quarter finals of the CIMB KL Open before losing to Nicol David in the semis. Then there was a final placing in April at the Irish Open where British Nationals runner up Laura Lengthorn-Massaro reversed their result.
This spell, followed by a semi final slot in the Seoul Open took her close to the top ten of the WISPA rankings. With this threshold being breached when she reached number eight in the September listing. And further progress is possible with her having reached the semi finals of the Forexx Dutch Open having upset Australian Rachael Grinham in the quarter finals before losing to sister Natalie.
The remainder of the year saw her reaching the quarter finals of the World Open, Qatar Classic and Hong Kong Open, losing to Vicky Botwright, Nicol David and Natalie Grainger respectively. But with others falling early in various events her consistency meant a career high ranking of five in December before settling back to six in the first ranking of 2009.
OMNEYA ABDEL KAWY
Omneya crowned a sparkling junior career in 2003 in her home city of Cairo when she lifted the World Junior title darter having been runner up to Nicol David in 1999 and 2001. Such was her precocious talent that she was already competing on the WISPA 
Tour in her mid teens. Her success has been amply evidenced by her having already reached a high of seven in the world rankings earlier in 2005.
Perhaps the highlight of 2005 was reaching match ball against world number one Rachael Grinham in the final of the Hurghada International in her home country … though she eventually lost the match. She also reached another two finals, Greenwich and Dayton, both in the USA, and finished as runner up; but won the Marsh McLennan title by beating Vicky Botwright. Since then she has continued to be a threat to all the top players, her astute tactical brain and range of shots causing problems to everybody she meets.
2006 saw her avenge the Hurghada loss the previous year when she turned the tables in a pulsating Hurghada final to win the event in front of ecstatic home supporters.
Later in the year she led Egypt to the final of the Women's World Team Championship in Canada where her country were beaten by England.
Early in 2007 she won the EBS Dayton Open in USA, and since then has consistently reached the last eight of the ‘majors’, without causing an upset. But she is more than capable of doing so and thus is taken very seriously by those above her in the rankings.
A career high of six in the world rankings was reached at the end of 2007, and then regained in May 2008 on the back of winning the Hurghada International for a second time, beating Rachael Grinham and Jenny Duncalf in the last two rounds. And while she surprisingly exited the Dunlop British Open and Seoul Open in the first round to Isabelle Stoehr she did reach the last eight of the CIMB Malaysian Open and Singapore Masters at the end of July to regain her momentum.
Later in 2008 Omneya reached the semi finals of the Singapore Open where Rachael Grinham got her revenge at that round, but maintained consistent form in reaching the quarters of three 'majors', the World Open, Qatar Classic and Hong Kong Open before the year was out.
April 2009 saw her retain her Hurghada International title, again beating Rachael Grinham in a great final at the Egyptian resort city.
MADELINE PERRY
Madeline has asserted that she had two ambitions – to reach the WISPA Top 10 and the base camp of Everest. She has conquered the former!
Improving performances for the last two years carried her into the top ten early in 
2006, and then as high as six following her retaining her Irish Open title in Dublin in April.
Having moved across to Halifax in England to get stronger competition and coaching from former England International Marcus Berrett there is a maturity about her on and off court.
Although slight of frame, a strong game and mental approach have been the key, coupled with good management of a troublesome knee condition.
She took time out after the Irish Open 2006 to have treatment on her knee and reported that all was well when she played without pain upon her return at the Malaysian Open in July 2006.
But it wasn't her knee that troubled her when she led the Irish team at the Women's Worlds in Canada. Madeline was struck down by food poisoning, though did prove herself back on song towards the end.
In November 2006 the pressure was really onwhen the World Open came to Belfast, but she justified her seeding of eight by reaching the quarter finals. She also did the same as top seed in the Irish Open 2007, winning the title in Dublin. Since then she has maintained steady form, with only one early exit (to Australian Kasey Brown in the CIMB Malaysian Open), but a highlight has perhaps been the defeat to Nicol David in the quarter finals of the Forexx Dutch Open where she took the world number one to 9/7 in the fourth in a very strong performance.
However, an off-court fall put paid to the rest of 2007 while she recovered from the resulting serious head injury.
The inactivity caused a dip in her ranking that took her out of the top ten after nearly two years, but as 2008 began so did Madeline. In her first event back , the Buler Challenge in Hong Kong, she reached the final; and though she couldn’t retain her Irish Open crown, her improvement was evident. More evidence of this return to full health and fitness was a quarter final slot in the Seoul Open. As this was followed at the end of July with a semi final berth at the CIMB Singapore Masters from an unseeded position, a few more months later and a return into the top ten was realised.
A huge help as reaching the semi finals of the World Open in Manchester where she squeezed by giant killer Jaclyn Hawkes before losing to Nicol David; and a quarter final berth in the Qatar Classic where Rachael Grinham ended her event.
LAURA LENTHORN-MASSARO
Laura , a twice British Under 19 champion, claimed her first WISPA title in 2004 when she won the German Open – but it was in 2005 that the 22 year old broke into the world top 20. Her most notable scalp of the year was Natalie Grainger in the British Open in October – a sensational straight games upset which led to a place in the quarter finals as a qualifier.
The middle period saw her move up to number eleven in the world rankings as well as 
getting married. Hence the addition of Massaro to her name.
And since then she has shown excellent form as 2008 unfolded, carrying on from a win against former World champion Vanessa Atkinson that took her into the Monte Carlo Classic semi finals at the end of 2007.
In January she beat Natalie Grainger in the quarter finals of the Greenwich Open before losing to fellow English player Alison Waters the following day. But she reversed that result in the final of the Irish Open in April to take her fourth WISPA Tour title. Then in June she again belied her seeding to reach the semi finals of the Seoul Open.
June 2008 was significant as it saw Laura reach the WISPA top ten for the first time, with quarter final slots in both the CIMB Malaysian Open and Forexx Dutch Open have maintained her momentum.
Laura's year certainly ended on a high when in the last WISPA Tour event of December she triumphed at the Monte Carlo Classic, beating Rachael Grinham 11/9 in the deciding game of a pulsating final.
SHELLEY KITCHEN
Shelley is originally from the small Far North township of Kaitaia, New Zealand. It was there Shelley started playing competitive squash as a ten year old.
Through her junior years, Shelley won every New Zealand junior title on offer, as well 
as numerous Australian and Oceania titles. At age 20, Shelley turned professional, and has competed on the WISPA international circuit since.
To date Shelley has achieved a career high world ranking of 11, and has won five international titles. Shelley was a member of the 2002 and 2004 New Zealand Women’s teams that both placed third at the World Teams Championships.
In 2006 Shelley won the Women’s World Doubles title with partner Tamsyn Leevey and also a silver (women’s doubles) and bronze medal (singles) at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Shelley is the current New Zealand Champion.
And showing fine form on the WISPA Tour during 2007 she beat third seed Rachael Grinham to reach the last eight of the Kuwait Open & repeated the feat later the same month at the Seoul Open to secure another quarter final finish.
Although she suffered a surprise defeat to Kasey Brown in her home Central Open she bounced back to take the NZ North Shore title before going on to win the Australian Open, beating Kasey Brown in the final.
Strong & athletic Shelley is clearly on the up, as evidenced by her reaching world number 10 slot for the first time in August 2007.
If more evidence of her steadily improving form were needed, it was supplied when she stunningly beat favourite Nicol David in the last 16 of the World Open in October 2007. Although she went out to Natalie Grainger in the following round the momentum took her up to a career high of seven in the rankings at the start of 2008, helped by winning the Harrow Greenwich Open in January, where she beat Alison Waters in the final.
Although subsequently beaten by Laura Lengthorn-Massaro in both the CIMB KL Open and Texas Open and suffering a surprise loss to Kasey Brown in the first round of the Seoul Open she has become a real threat to all the top players.
Her ranking improved to a career best of six in September 2008, helped by a quarter final slot in the CIMB Malaysian Open. But the next three events (Singapore Masters, World Open and Qatar Classic all saw last 16 exits, and all at the hands of the same opponent – Madeline Perry. She did however reach the final of the Carol Weymuller Open before another surprise early exit, the last 32 stage in Hong Kong, to Egyptian Raneen El Weleily.
This set of results dropped her back to ten in the WISPA rankings at the end of the year, but she is sure to bounce back in 2009.