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Nicolette Fernandes ranked 21 in the world

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Guyana’s ace squash player Nicolette Fernandes has started this year in the same position she occupied at the start of the 2014, according to the World International Squash Players Association (WISPA) website.

WISPA updates its world rankings at the start of each month, and according to the latest post, the 31-year-old Fernandes sits at number 21 after starting with the same ranking in 2014. She remains the highest ranked Caribbean player.

The last year was a relatively stable one for the England-based athlete, moving between positions 19 and 22 during the 12-month period. Fernandes spent six months during 2014 at number 19, her career-best ranking without moving up.

This was partly due to being inactive during a specific month or not being able to win championships. During 2015 however, Fernandes will have numerous opportunities break new grounds, as several tournaments are lined up for the next 12 months. Fernandes, however, is slated to get into action late in February at the Windy City Open in the United States of America where she will take on world number 16 Sarah-Jane Perry of England in the Round of 32.

The constant rise up the ranking is a remarkable turnaround for Fernandes, who only at the start of 2009 was rated a jaw-dropping 249 after a recurring knee injury had keep her out of competition for a protracted period of time.

Since returning from injury however, Guyana’s most decorated squash player has been on the rise, significantly moving up the ranking with each passing competition.

Such was her outstanding performance that at the end of 2009, Fernandes, who is based in England and is under the expert guidance of award-winning coach Carl Ince, had taken her ranking below 100, ending the year at 88.

Ever since then, it has been a steady climb up the ladder for the multiple national Sportswoman-of-the-Year, consistently racking up points and making her way up the WSA leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Nicol David of Malaysia remains the world number one, a position she has held since 2005. She currently has 29,125 points, with Raneem El Welly of Egypt in a distant second position on 18,185 points. David has won the World Championships a record eight times.