The Egyptian claimed his maiden men’s World Championship crown on Friday (November 4) after his compatriot Ramy Ashour was forced to retire in the fourth game of the final at the Wadi Degla Club in Cairo.

He recovered from losing the opener 5-11 to win the next two games before his opponent withdrew when 2-1 in the fourth.

Gawad’s achievement continued his excellent run this year, which has also seen him reach a maiden World Series final at the Hong Kong Open and win the Al Ahram Open in front of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.

He moves ahead of his fellow Egyptian Omar Mosaad, who drops to fourth, and will now set his sights on the top two spots.

Egypt’s Mohamed El Shorbagy and France’s Gregory Gaultier remain in the top two places, despite the latter being beaten by Gaward in the World Championship semi-final.

Beside Gaultier, England’s Nick Matthew and Colombia’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez are the only other non-Egyptian players in the top 10, the duo lying fifth and eighth respectively.

The top two in the women’s rankings are also unchanged, with Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini remaining ahead of England’s Laura Massaro.

Egypt’s Nouran Gohar has moved to a career high third as the world junior champion continues to go from strength to strength.

The 19-year-old, a winner of the Hong Kong Open, now lies ahead of fellow Egyptian Raneem El Welily and Malaysia’s Nicol David, who complete the top five.