Joel Climbs To New Career High As Tesni Stays In Top 10 In World

Action from the Welsh Masters Squash Championships. Pic: Squash Wales.

Action from the Welsh Masters Squash Championships. Pic: Squash Wales.

Joel Makin has reached a new career high of 23 in the world after rising one place in the January rankings. The Haverfordwest-born player started 2018 ranked 41 in the world but improved 18 places after an impressive year.

Joel Makin has reached a new career high of 23 in the world after rising one place in the January rankings.

The Haverfordwest-born player started 2018 ranked 41 in the world but improved 18 places after an impressive year.

Wales’ top ranked player, Tesni Evans, has slipped one place but is still No 10 in the world starting 2019.

http://twitter.com/sqwales/status/1080119142081052673

Makin won the Tring Open and the Thanet Open last year as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games in Australia last April.

The 24-year-old, now based in Birmingham, also reached the quarter-finals of the St George’s Hill Classic in Surrey and the Qatar Classic.

Makin claimed the biggest win of his career at the tournament in Weybridge when he defeated world No 1 Mohamed Elshorbagy in straight sets in the second round.

Caerphilly’s Peter Creed, who reached a career high 50 in the world in 2018, had dropped to 59 on the latest rankings, a fall of one place.

Cardiff-born Evans reached the final of the Monte Carlo Classic last month where she was beaten in a deciding set by top seed Laura Massaro.

The 26-year-old’s next competition is the $180,000 Tournament of Champions in New York which starts on January 18.

The Rhyl-based player, seeded eight for the event at Grand Central Terminal, will be looking to repeat her heroics from the US Open when she beat the higher ranked Joelle King and Sarah-Jane Perry to reach the semi-finals.

Tesni Evans . . . Top Ten On The Planet And You’ve Probably Just Walked Past Her

Evans has been joined in the world’s top 100 by Ali Loke who has claimed 11 places to a career high 93.

The 25-year-old from Cambridge won an all-Welsh duel with Nia Davies to reached the second round in Monte Carlo.

http://twitter.com/sqwales/status/1080119039337340929

Related News

Wales' Jonny Clayton celebrates after winning. Pic. Alamy

The Ferret Digs in . . . Jonny Clayton Proves he Can Play Through the Pain

Jonny Clayton insists he has learned to battle through the pain barrier when gout strikes after limping his way to a dominant victory on night six of the Premier League Darts in Nottingham.

David Parsons | 7 hours ago
Rosie Eccles. Pic. Alamy

Rosie Eccles Ends Olympic Dream . . . But Will Fight for Wales at Commonwealth Games

Rosie Eccles has decided to step away from the GB Boxing World Class Programme and will not chase qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

David Williams | Mar 06, 2026
Luke Littler (L) shakes the hand of Johnny Clayton (R). Pic. Alamy

Jonny Was Good . . . But Luke Littler was Something Special in Cardiff

The roar that greeted Jonny Clayton inside the Utilita Arena Cardiff suggested Welsh darts fans believed this might finally be his night.

Paul Jones | Mar 06, 2026
Jonny Clayton. Pic. Alamy

The Ferret and The Ice Man Hope to Bring a Welsh Duel to the Boil in Cardiff

Jonny Clayton admits he has no idea who the Cardiff crowd would side with if he and Gerwyn Price set up an all-Welsh final on Premier League night five.

Gareth James | Mar 05, 2026
Glamorgan Cricket. Pic. Alamy

Glamorgan Call off Oman Tour as Dan Cherry Outlines Safety Concerns

Glamorgan have abandoned their pre-season trip to Oman with chief executive Dan Cherry making it clear that events in the Middle East left the club with little alternative.

David Williams | Mar 05, 2026
Mark Williams. Pic. Alamy

Triple Blow as Mark Williams, Jak Jones and Jackson Page are Sent Packing from the Welsh Open

Welsh hopes at the 2026 Welsh Open were extinguished in a single evening as Mark Williams, Jak Jones and Jackson Page all crashed out on Thursday.

Gareth James | Feb 27, 2026