HEAD Celebrates Coll’s Rise to No. 1!!
Kennelbach, Austria
HEAD is celebrating its first world No 1 in squash for nearly six years! Beginning of March, Paul Coll will rise to the top of the PSA rankings, becoming the first male squash player from New Zealand to become world No 1.
The 29-year-old Coll, originally from Greymouth on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island but currently based in the Netherlands, will eclipse Ali Farag after beating the Egyptian three times in the second half of last year, including in the final of the British Open. That took him to No 2 in the rankings in December, but despite having played just one tournament so far this year, when the March rankings come out, Coll will be at the top.
“It was an indescribable feeling when I found out I’d become world No 1,” he said. “There have been a lot of sacrifices and hard work in my career, and this moment makes every one of those worth it. Thank you to my whole team – from everyone who helped me in juniors until now. I couldn’t have done it without all of you!”
Coll, known as ‘Superman’ thanks to his ability to dive for seemingly hopeless balls, has risen gradually up the rankings. He broke into the top 50 in 2015, and by April 2019 was in the top five. The Covid suspension slowed his rise, but having signed with HEAD in 2020, he won his first major in August 2021, and by the end of last year was No 2 behind Farag.
“We are so proud of Paul,” said HEAD’s Global Business Manager ICS Pasquale Ruzicka. “The last HEAD player to be world No 1 was Laura Massaro, who is now our professional player consultant – that was in 2016, and it’s wonderful to see such a humble and likeable man like Paul make it to the top with one of our top racquets.”
Coll cites Joelle King as one of his inspirations, and the women’s world No 6 – also from New Zealand – has just extended her contract with HEAD until the end of 2023, along with America’s top female squash player, world No 4 Amanda Sobhy.
New Zealand has a strong squash tradition, with players like Susan Devoy, Stewart Davenport and Ross Norman having flown the Kiwi flag. Norman beat Jahangir Khan in 1986 to become the first world champion from New Zealand, but unlike Coll he never made it to the top of the rankings.
