Squash star Annie Au Wing-chi is often doing calculations - both on and off court. She is famous for knowing when to cleverly change the pace of a match or select a different type of shot to win a point.
Now she has begun doing sums of a different kind - adding up her average ranking points gained from tournaments - after she became the first Hong Kong-born player to break into the top-10 rankings in women's squash this month.
'People have the misconception that my ranking will only go up from now on - not drop down - but that's not the case,' says Annie, 22. She is ranked ninth in the world on 774.810 points - only just ahead of France's 10th-ranked Camile Serme, on 773.194 points.
'Nearly all the top players are really close to each other in terms of ranking points. That is why I'm always pressing the buttons of my calculator to see how my ranking will change if I reach a certain round. I just want to make sure my ranking won't fluctuate.'
Last year, Annie was ranked outside the world top 20 and not playing particularly well. But then last month she unexpectedly won an international tournament in Kuwait.
That victory proved the turning point - it inspired her to a second successive international title in France the same month and other impressive performances as she climbed the world rankings.
Being consistent is the secret to staying in the top 10, but Annie enjoys the added pressure this brings. 'If I've won a title the previous year, I will need to do equally well this year to defend my title. And if I performed badly last time, I know it is a good chance to improve and also grab more ranking points.'
