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Rachel's world ranking shoots up after China Open triumph

KUALA LUMPUR: Rachel Arnold's world squash ranking rose to world No. 19 from No. 30 after winning the China Open in Shanghai on Sunday.

For the first time, the national No. 2 broke into the world's top 20 since turning professional in 2010.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Rachel is set to surpass her elder sister Delia, who was world No. 12 in 2015.

Rachel comes from a family of squash players. Her father, Raymond, was a former national player and national coach, and her elder brother, Timothy, also represented Malaysia.

Rachel, 28, said: "I've aimed to be in the top 20 for a while, and I'm happy that I have finally got there.

"This is only a start for me, I definitely aim to go higher in my ranking in the future."

Rachel said she would try to challenge the world's top 10 to 20 players more.

In the China Open, Rachel upset world No. 15 Farida Mohamed of Egypt in the final. In the quarter-finals she stunned Egypt's world No. 8 and top seed Rowan, and in the semi-final she beat two-time national champion Aira Azman.

Winning the China Open title has boosted Rachel's confidence for a good run in the US$64,000 Ace Malaysia Cup at the Curve Mall in Selangor from Nov 12-17.

She is seeded third and her main rival will be Egypt's world No. 10 Amina Orfi. Last year, Rachel finished second to Egypt's Nour El Tayeb in Seremban.

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