Joelle King Signs Sponsorship Agreement with Ashaway Racket Strings

Ashaway Racket Strings has announced the addition of New Zealand's rising squash star Joelle King to their roster of sponsored players. Currently ranked Number 7 on the Women's Squash Association World Tour, Joelle is seen as a rising force on the squash circuit, having reached WSA Number 5 in November 2012 after winning the Macau Open, her 6th WSA title.

WSA Ranked Number 7 Player Thrives On Competition As She Rises To The Top

Ashaway, RI - Ashaway Racket Strings has announced the addition of New Zealand's rising squash star Joelle King to their roster of sponsored players. Currently ranked Number 7 on the Women's Squash Association World Tour, Joelle is seen as a rising force on the squash circuit, having reached WSA Number 5 in November 2012 after winning the Macau Open, her 6th WSA title.

"Joelle is a very strong and exciting young player, definitely someone to watch," said Steve Crandall, Vice President of Ashaway Racket Strings. "She's the kind of player who's good for the sport and for her sponsors, and we're delighted to have her on our team."

Joelle first burst onto the world stage in April 2010 at the Texas Open where she stormed through the draw unseeded, taking out three higher ranked opponents before stunning top seed Rachael Grinham in the final to capture her fifth and biggest career title. She finished 2010 ranked Number 17, having become the New Zealand Women's Champion and winning a gold and a silver in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, and by November 2012 had reached WSA Number 5 before settling back to Number 7 in early 2013.

Recently married to long-time sweetheart, Ryan Shuttle, 24-year old Joelle grew up surrounded by a large extended family including two older brothers who always made sure she had a good grasp of sibling rivalry. "From card games to backyard sport - everything was a competition to be the best!" she said, noting that now, "nothing has changed, well besides that I can now annihilate my bros on the squash court. My competitive instincts and determination to be the world's best squash player remains."

For Joelle, competition is the ultimate thrill of squash. "I love to play the world's best to see how I match up," said Joelle. "That means bringing my best to the court, both in my play and my equipment. After switching to Ashaway's PowerNick^® 18 string last year my game has been improving by leaps and bounds, so I am very excited to be named as an Ashaway sponsored player."

Upcoming tournaments for Joelle include CIMB KL Malaysian Open, Texas Open, and British Open, where she hopes to continue her march to become the new WSA World Number One.