Binnie cracks world’s top 100 squash players
SQUASH ace Chris Binnie is now among the top 100 players in the world after vaulting up to 93 on the Professional Squash Association’s (PSA) rankings.
The six-time Jamaican and Caribbean champion reached the career-high ranking in the players standing posted by the PSA last week. The major achievement is another feather in the cap of the decorated player, who set out to crack the top 100 during 2015. Binnie set the goal earlier in the year as he continued his comeback from major surgery in 2013, which led to a nine-month layoff that caused his ranking to drop as low as 300.
“Getting into the top 100 is personally satisfying for me because it’s been a long road back since the surgery, but now I’m on the rise and the best is yet to come,” he said.
News of his new ranking came just after Binnie scored his second international professional squash title when he won the Securian Indian Summer Tournament in Minnesota last month. Next up he plays the St Louis Open which kicks off on November 11 and he’ll contest the Florida Open in the first week of December.
“Between my recent tournament win and my new ranking, I’m really motivated and I’ll be looking to win both tournaments,” Binnie said.
He also pointed out that he continues to experience challenges finding funding to offset training and competition expenses. Earlier this year he received sponsorship from Wisynco through their WATA brand; however, more financing will be necessary for him to keep up with the demands of the PSA Tour.
“I cannot express how thankful I am to WATA for boosting my career. The sponsorship has helped to cover travel, training, and accommodation costs on the pro tour; and now I am hoping other corporate entities will come on board, because I definitely need support to take my career to the next level,” Binnie said.
In spite of the financial challenges, Binnie had much to cheer about this year as, in addition to scoring his second professional title, he won the All Jamaica Championships for the sixth time and claimed a record-breaking sixth Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) title.
Already focused on his next objective, the Jamaican champion is looking to move up to the top 75 by next May, and then he plans to crack the top 50 before the end of 2016.