At 19 years and two months, Orfi has broken a record that had stood since 1984, when New Zealand great Susan Devoy reached the top of the rankings at 20 years and two months.
The milestone was confirmed after Orfi defeated compatriot and then world number one Hania El Hammamy 3-2 in Friday’s final of the QTerminals Qatar Classic in Doha. The 107-minute contest finished 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 12-10.
The victory gave Orfi her first Platinum title, her third major of the year and the 15th title of her career. It also ended El Hammamy’s 11-month reign at the summit.
“Sweat, tears, heartbreaks, and tons of sacrifices all for this moment,” Orfi wrote on Instagram after the official rankings update.
Speaking after the Doha final, she said: “To become world champion and become world number one in the same year is a dream that I’ve had since I was very young and I really want to enjoy it.”
“I want to just stay at this level now and keep trying to improve every day. I want to stay on top now that I’m the world number one, and I want to win a lot more titles too.”
The ranking completes an extraordinary year for the Cairo-born teenager. In May, Orfi became the youngest women’s world champion at 18 years and 10 months when she beat eight-time champion Nour El Sherbini in a five-game final at the World Championships in Egypt. That win also made her the first player to hold the senior and junior world titles at the same time.
Orfi is the fifth Egyptian woman to reach world number one, following Raneem El Weleily, Nour El Sherbini, Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy. She has been inside the world’s top three since last October.
The achievement comes as squash prepares for its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, where Orfi is expected to be among the leading contenders for gold.
El Hammamy drops to second in the new rankings, with El Sherbini third. Egypt continue to dominate the top of the women’s game as Orfi begins life as the youngest player ever to sit at its summit.