US Open 2019


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reports & Results

Previews

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Quarters

Semis

Finals

Latest

draw

US Open 2019
Men's Draw
06 - 13 Oct
Philadelphia, USA, $185.5k

Round Two
 06 OCT
Round Three
 07 -08
OCT
Quarters
 09  -10 OCT
Semis
 11 OCT
Final
 12 OCT
[1] Ali Farag (EGY)
11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (38m)
Daryl Selby (ENG)
Ali Farag
11-3, 11-9, 11-8 (34m)
Adrian Waller
Ali Farag
w/o injured
Miguel Rodriguez
Ali Farag
11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (53m)
Diego Elias

Ali Farag

11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (40m)
 Mohamed Elshorbagy
 
Adrian Waller (ENG)
11-2, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8 (59m)
[9/16] Declan James (ENG)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (70m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
Ryan Cuskelly
13-11, 11-9, 11-7 (55m)
Miguel Rodriguez
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
11-9, 5-11, 11-1, 11-7 (49m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[7] Diego Elias (PER)
11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (47m)
George Parker (ENG)
Diego Elias
11-5, 11-9, 11-8 (50m)
Joel Makin
Diego Elias
4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7 (80m)
 Karim Abdel Gawad
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL)
11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-2 (55m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
8-11, 13-11, 11-5, 10-6 ret. (61m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX)
Gregoire Marche
11-5, 16-14, 11-7 (59m)
Karim Abdel Gawad
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
11-7, 11-9, 15-13 (49m)
Mostafa Asal (EGY)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY)
7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (65m)
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT)
Tarek Momen
11-5, 11-6, 12-10 (36m)
Raphael Kandra
Tarek Momen
8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (54m)
Simon Rösner

Tarek Momen

11-8, 11-9, 11-3 (44m)
 Mohamed Elshorbagy
Raphael Kandra (GER)
9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 (59m)
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY)
9-11, 12-10, 13-11, 11-5 (51m)
[9/16] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
Zahed Salem
11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 (57m)
Simon Rösner
[5] Simon Rösner (GER)
11-3, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7 (49m)
Nicolas Müller (SUI)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL)
13-11, 11-6, 11-3 (53m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND)
Paul Coll
6-11, 11-2, 12-10, 11-8 (64m)
Mazen Hesham
Paul Coll
12-10, 14-12, 11-5 (60m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy
Mazen Hesham (EGY)
9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (61m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Campbell Grayson (NZL)
11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (45m)
[WC] Andrew Douglas (USA)
Campbell Grayson
11-6, 11-7, 12-10 (42m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy
Borja Golan (ESP)
11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (68m)
[2]
Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)

Round One


[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bye
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (56m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 8-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-5 (54m)
[9/16] Declan James (ENG) bye
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (48m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Vikram Malhotra (IND) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (31m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 (56m)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bye
George Parker (ENG) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 15-13 (60m)
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) 13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10 (58m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8 (48m)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bye
Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 11-5, 11-3, 11-9 (42m)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) bt Leo Au (HKG) 12-10, 11-7, 11-3 (39m)
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bye
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 8-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3 (47m)
[9/16] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) bye
Nicolas Müller (SUI) bt Richie Fallows (ENG) 11-4, 11-13, 13-11, 11-4 (50m)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) bye
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) bye
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [WC] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) 11-4, 11-3, 11-9 (27m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bye
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Youssef Soliman (EGY) 11-5, 13-15, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (107m)
[WC] Andrew Douglas (USA) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 (73m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (35m)
[2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
 

US Open. 2019
Women's Draw

06 - 13 Oct
Philadelphia, USA, $185.5k

Round Two
 06 OCT
Round Three
 07 -08
OCT
Quarters
 09  -10 OCT
Semis
 11 OCT
Final
 12 OCT
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY)
11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (23m)
Nadine Shahin (EGY)
Raneem El Welily
11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (21m)
Yathreb Adel
Raneem El Welily
11-6, 14-12, 11-8 (34m)
Sarah-Jane Perry
Raneem El Welily
11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (35m)
 Nour El Tayeb
 

Nour El Tayeb
3-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-7 (67m)
 Nouran Gohar

[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
11-3, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5 (47m)
Julianne Courtice (ENG)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9 (41m)
[10] Alison Waters (ENG)
Sivasangari Subramaniam
10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 14-12 (48m)
Sarah-Jane Perry
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN)
[5] Joelle King (NZL)
12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5 (43m)
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
Joelle King
11-7, 7-11, 2-11, 12-10, 11-8 (55m)
Rowan Elaraby
Rowan Elaraby
11-6, 11-2, 11-7 (26m)
 Nour El Tayeb
Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
11-6, 11-3, 11-5 (26m)
[11] Victoria Lust (ENG)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
12-10, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4 (70m)
Nada Abbas (EGY)
Hania El Hammamy
11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (36m)
Nour El Tayeb
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
11-6, 11-1, 11-1 (19m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
11-1, 5-11, 11-2, 11-9 (45m)
Nele Gilis (BEL)
Nouran Gohar
11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (31m)
Salma Hany
Nouran Gohar
11-8, 11-5, 11-5 (34m)
Tesni Evans
Nouran Gohar
11-4, 11-6, 11-4 (29m)
 Camille Serme


 

[13] Salma Hany (EGY)
11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (25m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS)
[16] Joey Chan (HKG)
11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (25m)
Lee Ka Yi (HKG)
Joey Chan
11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (22m)
Tesni Evans
[8]  (WAL)
11-1, 17-15, 11-9 (40m)
Melissa Alves (FRA)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (34m)
Olivia Fiechter (USA)
Amanda Sobhy
12-10, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
Joshna Chinappa
Amanda Sobhy
11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (24m)
Camille Serme
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 (50m)
Donna Lobban (AUS)
[9] Annie Au (HKG)
11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 (39m)
Rachael Grinham (AUS)
Annie Au
11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2 (36m)
Camille Serme
[WC] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (26m)
[2]
Camille Serme (FRA)

round one


1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bye
Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt [WC] Laila Sedky (USA) 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 (21m)
Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 11-3, 11-9, 12-10 (31m)
[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bye
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) bye
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 (55m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (29m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bye
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bye
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 (45m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (30m)
[11] Victoria Lust (ENG) bye
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bye
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (61m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (31m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bye
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bye
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (36m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12 (59m)
[13] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
[16] Joey Chan (HKG) bye
Lee Ka Yi (HKG) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 (26m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (42m)
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bye
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bye
Olivia Fiechter (USA) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 11-9, 4-11, 11-4, 11-3 (37m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 11-4, 11-2, 11-5 (19m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bye
[9] Annie Au (HKG) bye
Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-4, 13-11 (46m)
[WC] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 13-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3 (48m)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bye
 

Reports

Finals

Egyptian Duo Gohar and Farag Are 2019 U.S. Open Champions

Egyptian duo Nouran Gohar and Ali Farag captured the 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships titles earlier today at Philadelphia’s Drexel University after overcoming compatriots Nour El Tayeb and Mohamed ElShorbagy to win the first PSA Platinum event of the 2019/20 season.

World No.5 Gohar has made it back-to-back Platinum titles after also taking the honours at the British Open in May, but the 22-year-old had to battle back from two games down and championship ball down to claim the 10th title of her career.

El Tayeb won the 2017 edition of the event alongside husband Farag as they became the first married couple in sporting history to win the same major title on the same day. And it looked like a repeat could be on the cards after a blistering start from El Tayeb saw the World No.3 power to a two-game lead, while she had the championship within her grasp at 11-10 in the third.

But Gohar dug in to send the match into a fourth, and the tide turned immediately as she put together a series of well-constructed rallies to take the fourth as well. El Tayeb stayed with Gohar until 7-7 in the decider, but Gohar pulled away to claim a 3-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-7 victory which sees her win her third major PSA title, while she will go to World No.2 in the November PSA World Rankings.

“I can’t believe it,” said Gohar after the match.

“It was so tough out there, I felt my legs burning and it was like I was doing court sprints with Nour out there in the first two games. I just tried to hang in there and I didn’t want the crowd to be upset about a bad final match. I was thinking ‘that’s the worst final ever’, but it turns out, and I hope, it was a good one.

“I was really nervous and I thought ‘just fight, you didn’t work that hard to just let it go’, so for each point I was just telling myself to fight. I tried to adapt, I knew that my plan wasn’t working and I thought when the opportunity came to just take a risk and see how it goes. The crowd was amazing and the best ever, I think even better than an Egyptian crowd. It’s really nice for us to have such a good crowd and it cheers you on when you are down.”

While El Tayeb narrowly missed out on taking the women’s crown, Farag made no mistake in adding to his 17 PSA Tour titles as a masterclass of a performance saw him end ElShorbagy’s unbeaten start to the season in a free-flowing match that saw only four decisions made by the referee throughout the entirety of the 40-minute contest.

ElShorbagy has already won the J.P. Morgan China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open over the past month, beating Farag in the final of the former, while he was on a 12-match unbeaten run coming into today’s title decider.

But the three-time U.S. Open champion was powerless to prevent his opponent from taking a 3-0 win today. Farag was sublime as he controlled the rallies right from the off, and after claiming a comfortable 11-4 victory in the opening game, he went in for the kill in games two and three, with an off-the-pace ElShorbagy failing to lunge properly in the final game.

Farag becomes the third Egyptian to win the U.S. Open twice after ElShorbagy and the legendary Amr Shabana, while it is his first PSA Tour title of the season.

“To be winning not only a major, but the U.S. Open which is one of the most prestigious tournaments we have on the calendar, it feels amazing," Farag said.

"It’s a good day for the family, I can’t be too disappointed but there is no one I hate more in this building than Nouran Gohar right now! I’m kidding, both Nouran and Nour played an amazing match and that’s how squash should be played.

“Obviously I’m very proud with how I played as well, Mohamed has had an unbelievable start to the season, to be unbeaten in 12 matches in a row, and I was one of the victims, so to get the win today feels amazing."

In addition to their earnings of $25,000, both Farag and Gohar qualify for the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals, which will take place in June, 2020. The PSA World Tour Finals features a men’s and women’s draw containing the reigning PSA World Champions and all Platinum title winners. Remaining spots are allocated to the highest-placed players on the Road to Egypt Standings, with points on offer at all PSA World Tour events.

The next PSA World Tour event will be the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championships, which takes place in front of Cairo’s iconic Great Pyramid of Giza between October 24 - November 1. A men’s Platinum event - the CIB Egyptian Squash Open - will also be held alongside it.
 

Semi Finals

Married Couple El Tayeb and Farag Reach U.S. Open Finals as Egyptians Dominate Semis

Two years on from their historic title triumphs at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, married couple Nour El Tayeb and Ali Farag have once again reached the finals of the PSA Platinum event as all four semi-final fixtures went the way of Egyptian players at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

El Tayeb and Farag became the first married couple in sporting history to win the same major sports title on the same day when they won their first major titles in Philadelphia in 2017.

They now have the opportunity to repeat that feat after respective wins against women’s World No.1 Raneem El Welily and Peru’s Diego Elias. El Tayeb beat El Welily in that U.S. Open final two years ago, and the pair were meeting for the third time in as many tournaments after sharing the spoils in the China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open finals last month.

El Welily dismantled El Tayeb in just 23 minutes in the final of the Oracle NetSuite Open, but the 30-year-old saw her title defence come to an end after a masterclass of attacking squash from El Tayeb saw the younger Egyptian come out an 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 winner - marking the first time she has ever beaten El Welily in straight games.

“I watched our last match from San Francisco this morning,” said 26-year-old El Tayeb afterwards.

“I was shocked, I didn’t think I was doing a lot of things bad, but she was just unbeatable and took every chance. Today, I was laughing, when I was 6-4 up in the first game I thought ‘yes, I’ve taken more points than I did last time’.

“Last time the most I scored was five, so after I took the first game I thought ‘wow, I’m in this and it’s not like last time’. I was talking to Ali before the match, and I was in a good mindset and felt less pressure. It’s a pity it’s the semi-final because I want to play Raneem in a match like that in the final because this is it and you want to beat Raneem and go home, but I need to forget about this match now and focus on tomorrow.”

Her final opponent will be World No.5 Nouran Gohar after an onslaught of hard-hitting squash saw her dispatch 2016 winner Camille Serme in a repeat of May’s British Open final.

Gohar, the only one of the women’s semi-finalists that hasn’t won the event, lost to Serme at the same stage of June’s PSA World Tour Finals, but this time around the French player had no answer to the sheer power of Gohar’s hitting. The 22-year-old from Cairo was relentless as she lived up to her ‘Terminator’ moniker, surging to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 victory to book her spot in a third successive Platinum final.

“Before playing here, I was thinking yesterday that all the semi-finalists are U.S. Open champions and I’m the only one that isn’t,” said Gohar.

“Nour is the player to beat. She has been chopping everyone now and she’s playing really well. I’m excited about tomorrow’s match, I think it will be a great one with a lot of contrast. She likes to slow it down and plays really good shots, I like to hit hard so it’s going to be interesting and challenging, but I’m looking forward to it."

The men’s final will pit Farag up against World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy in a repeat of the 2017 title decider. Farag got the better of Peru’s Diego Elias in straight games, while ElShorbagy matched that scoreline against fellow Egyptian Tarek Momen.

Farag will now appear in a seventh successive Platinum final after a composed display from the 27-year-old saw him overcome Elias by an 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 scoreline.

“If leaving the room today you would have told us that we [Farag and El Tayeb] would be leaving with two 3-0 wins tonight, I wouldn’t have believed you," Farag said.

"He is one of those players that has so much skill in his racket, but then when he loosens up it’s even more. You could see he was firing nicks at the end, I don’t think I did much wrong, maybe I took my foot off the gas, but it’s all credit to him and I’m happy to close it down in three. We will both have solid opponents in the final now… we’re going to give it our best and if we walk away with another repeat of 2017 then we would be very happy.”

Farag and ElShorbagy played each other in the China Open final last month, with ElShorbagy winning on that occasion, while he has won 11 of 18 matches against the current World No.1.

ElShorbagy, a three-time U.S. Open champion, will line up in a fourth successive final in Philly after he disposed of Egypt’s Tarek Momen in straight games. Despite some tenacious retrieving from Momen, ElShorbagy dominated the ’T’ in a powerhouse performance to follow up his victory over the World No.3 in last week’s Oracle NetSuite Open title decider, winning 11-8, 11-9, 11-3.

ElShorbagy and Farag are currently locked in a battle for the World No.1 spot and the former sent out a stark warning sign to Farag ahead of tomorrow’s fixture.

“It would mean so much to have a shot at winning the U.S. Open title for the fourth time, but I’m up against the best player in the world right now," ElShorbagy said.

"I’m after him and I want his ranking, but he had an unbelievable season last season, and I think it’s fitting that the first Platinum tournament of the season we have the World No.1 and No.2 in the final. Hopefully it’s a good match in front of everyone.”

The finals begin at 17:00 (GMT-4) on Saturday October 12. Coverage will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent only).

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
 
Quarter Finals Lower Half

France’s Serme Beats Sobhy in U.S. Open Quarter-Finals to End US Hopes

French No.2 seed Camille Serme put in an immaculate performance to defeat the only American player left in the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships draw, Amanda Sobhy, to book her place in the semi-finals of the PSA Platinum tournament taking place at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

The match was a repeat of last month’s Open de France final, which Serme won 3-1 to claim a sixth successive win over the Boston-based World No.8, and the Frenchwoman was methodical and deadly accurate as she dismantled Sobhy to win by an 11-2, 11-4, 11-5 in just 24 minutes.

Sobhy has been carrying an adductor injury throughout the event, and despite a spirited showing, the 26-year-old was unable to get really stuck into her opponent and made a succession of errors as Serme dominated proceedings to set up a semi-final fixture with World No.5 Nouran Gohar.

“I know Amanda has been struggling a little bit with her leg, it’s not easy to know that and play your best," said 2017 U.S. Open Champion Serme.

“It was a great battle in France, she played really well. She’s very strong physically and I always try and play on that with Amanda to make the rallies really long and make it as long as I can. Even if she is going to win the point, I try to make it hard for her.

“I haven’t played Nouran since June at the World Tour Finals, so I’m really looking forward to this match. It will be a tough match and I’m very happy to be back in the semis of this tournament."

Serme and Gohar will contest a repeat of the British Open final - which went the way of Gohar - although Serme did gain a measure of revenge in their most recent meeting, which came in the last four of the CIB PSA World Tour Finals.

Gohar will appear in her first U.S. Open semi-final after she defeated last year’s semi-finalist Tesni Evans in straight games. The Cairo-born 22-year-old was firing on all cylinders as she established her renowned hard-hitting style of play on the match right from the off, and Evans had no response as the Egyptian won 11-8, 11-5, 11-5 in 34 minutes.

"They say third time lucky, but for me it’s four,” said Gohar following her win.

“I started playing the U.S. Open when I was 15 years old and it was my first World Series event. I remember I was playing with Joelle King when she was World No.4, before the injury, and I was so excited to be on court and practicing and everything, so to be in the semi-finals now is unbelievable."

Defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy continued his title defence as he defeated New Zealand’s Paul Coll to reach a sixth successive U.S. Open semi-final. The pair were both unbeaten this season heading into this match, and they played out an electrifying 60-minute encounter in front of a packed house at Drexel University.

ElShorbagy took the opening two games on the tie-break after some gruelling rallies, with Coll unable to make the most of two game ball opportunities in the second. That proved crucial as ElShorbagy outplayed the Kiwi in the third and final game to record a fifth successive win over the World No.5.

ElShorbagy has fond memories of the tournament after title wins in 2014, 2016 and 2018, claiming the World No.1 spot for the first time after the first of those victories. The 28-year-old will now have the opportunity to reach the final of this tournament for a third time in a row, winning 12-10, 14-12, 11-5 to set up a last four meeting with World No.3 Tarek Momen.

“Playing Paul is always going to be tough,” ElShorbagy said.

“You have to accept before you go on court with him that you are going to go through a physical war with him before you can try to beat him. I had to have courage and go for more winners. I didn’t volley as much as I would have liked in the match and I didn’t go as short but I went for it in the tie-breaks and luckily it paid off."

ElShorbagy beat Momen in the final of the Oracle NetSuite Open last week and the latter will look to avenge that defeat after coming back from a game down to defeat 2018 runner-up Simon Rösner.

Their head-to-head record stood at five wins apiece heading into the match and, while Rösner showed some good touches to take a one-game advantage, he soon tired, allowing Momen to grow into the match as he completed 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 victory to reach his first U.S. Open semi-final.

“Getting to my first semi-final here is special,” said Momen afterwards.

“I’ve always wanted to do well here, but I’ve never reached the semi-final. The closest I came was last year when I was match ball up in the fifth but lost it in the tie-break, so it’s good that I have gone one step further, and hopefully I continue to go further into the tournament."

The U.S. Open semi-finals will take place at 17:30 on Friday October 11th with all four top seeds in action in the women’s event, while No.7 seed Diego Elias is the surprise semi-finalist in the men’s after he beat No.4 seed Karim Abdel Gawad in the quarter-finals on Tuesday night.

Live coverage will be shown on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent only).

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
 

Quarter FInals Top Half

Peru’s Elias Topples Gawad to Become First South American U.S. Open Semi-Finalist

Peru’s World No.7 Diego Elias will become the first South American to appear in the semi-finals of the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships after he came back from a game down to overcome World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

22-year-old Elias hadn’t beaten Gawad on the PSA Tour prior to tonight - losing all five of their previous meetings - but he played with maturity to defeat the Egyptian 4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, earning a spot in only his second major semi-final.

Gawad raced out of the traps to take a one-game lead, but three tins from the 28-year-old towards the end of the second game proved costly as Elias levelled. Gawad continued to hit too many errors as Elias added the third, but was back on top in the fourth to set up a decider.

However, he had few answers to Elias’s guile as the No.7 seed kept him at arm’s length to close out a win which will see him take on World No.1 Ali Farag for a place in the final.

“I’m just so happy with my performance today,” said Elias afterwards.

“I think I like this place – it was my first quarter-final here and now my first semi-final here. I’m just really happy to have my dad here and [former World No.1] Jonathon [Power], he has been helping me for so long and I’m really happy that this is happening.

“I’m feeling really confident, now I have to recover. I always have good matches with Ali, so I want to be at 100 per cent to play well and have another great match with him.”

Farag was slated to take on Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in the final match of the day, but a calf injury saw Rodriguez withdraw from the fixture, meaning 2017 champion Farag receives a walkover into the last four.

The women’s semi-finals will feature a repeat of the 2017 women’s final as World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.3 Nour El Tayeb both booked their last four spots after respective wins over England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and two-time World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby.

El Welily and El Tayeb contested the final of this tournament two years ago, with El Tayeb claiming a dramatic 3-2 victory to lift her first PSA Platinum title. That win came before husband Ali Farag overcame World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy to capture his first major title, meaning they became the first married couple in sporting history ever to win the same major sports title on the same day.

El Welily and El Tayeb have already met in back-to-back finals at the first two PSA World Tour events of the season - the J.P. Morgan China Open and the Oracle NetSuite Open - with both players collecting a win apiece. El Welily, who dismantled El Tayeb in just 23 minutes in the Oracle NetSuite Open final, earned her spot in the semi-finals of this tournament after beating Perry 11-6, 14-12, 11-8.

“I’m so far away from defending my title,” said 30-year-old El Welily after claiming her 350th PSA Tour win.

“It used to be very hard for me mentally to play the same person again and again, but since the years have passed, I think I have got used to it. We play one week after the other, and it’s very common that we play the same person back-to-back. It’s just another match, I don’t think of it as a repeat of something that has happened before, it is just a new match and a new opportunity."

In the battle of the two former World Junior Champions, it was El Tayeb who came out on top against Elaraby, with the 26-year-old winning 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 in 26 minutes.

19-year-old Elaraby, the World Junior Champion in 2017 and 2018, caused the biggest upset of the tournament so far when she dispatched World No.6 Joelle King in round three, and she began the fixture with El Tayeb well, showing no fear as she surged into a 4-0 lead in the opening game.

But from there, it was all El Tayeb as the World Championship runner-up hit her stride and played an array of winners to book her place in the last four. She is currently 13-7 down on the head-to-head record against El Welily and has won one of their last four meetings.

“I’m feeling great on the court and I’m very pleased with how I’m playing,” El Tayeb said.

“I can’t wait to get back on here for the semis and hopefully reach another final. I’m happy that I’m reaching the stage where I’m playing Raneem. It’s been a great season so far, she is the best in the world for a reason, but I can’t wait to get on there and play a good match."

The quarter-finals continue on Thursday October 10. Play begins at 17:30 (GMT-4) and will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe & Japan).

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
 

Round Three Lower Half

Sobhy Beats Chinappa to Carry Home Hopes into U.S. Open Quarter-Finals

United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy booked her place in the quarter-finals of the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships after beating India’s Joshna Chinappa in straight games earlier today at the PSA Platinum event taking place at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

Sobhy is the only remaining US player in the draw and had been struggling with an adductor injury in the build up to the event - pulling out of the Oracle NetSuite Open a fortnight ago - while the injury still looked to be troubling her during her second round fixture with fellow American Olivia Fiechter.

However, the Boston-based Harvard-graduate looked far more comfortable on court against Chinappa as she blew the World No.12 away in games two and three after sneaking a win in the opening game. She will play No.2 seed Camille Serme in the next round, a month after losing to the Frenchwoman in the Open de France final.

"The whole point of pulling out early in San Francisco was so I could compete at this tournament,” said Sobhy afterwards.

“I might not be where I want to be injury or health-wise, but I’m pretty pleased with my performance. I know how deadly Joshna can be, but my second round match gave me some confidence and I know that I can still play and move even if both legs aren’t fully functional. I’m really happy with today.

“I think both Camille and I played really well in France and it was probably some of the hottest conditions that we’ve ever played in. Even though I lost that, it’s a battle I will remember and it gives you confidence that you can play at that level, but hopefully third time is the charm against her.”

Serme, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, was up against Hong Kong’s Annie Au a year on from beating her in straight games at the same stage of last year’s tournament and, while she dropped a game this time around, the 30-year-old dominated for large periods of their 36-minute fixture.

The Creteil-based 30-year-old raced to an 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2 victory and will now turn her attention to overcoming Sobhy in the last eight for a second year running.

“Annie’s always tough to play, she has a type of game where she is lobbing and dropping really well,” Serme said.

“She did it really well in the third and I lost a bit of my focus as well, so I really wanted to get a good start in the fourth. She slowed down the pace and I like to play fast, so it’s a different tactical game, but it’s always good to have different types of games on the tour."

World No.9 Tesni Evans and World No.5 Nouran Gohar were the other players to win on day four, with comfortable victories against Joey Chan and Salma Hany, respectively. Evans and Gohar will now go head-to-head for a place in the last four.

In the men’s event, defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy advanced to the quarter-finals courtesy of an 11-6, 11-7, 12-10 win over New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson

The World No.2 - still unbeaten this season after title wins at the China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open - will compete in his 10th successive U.S. Open quarter-final and will take on the man he beat in last year’s semi-finals, New Zealand’s Paul Coll.

“I’m really happy to be back here in the quarters, the U.S. Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar,” ElShorbagy said.

“It’s a Platinum event and we all aim for these. It’s our [ElShorbagy and Grayson] first time playing against each other and we have even only practised against each other once or twice. He came to Bristol before the British Open in May and he is one of the nicest guys I have ever met in my life.

“Paul has been doing really well and he had a really good end of season, especially his couple of matches with [Ali] Farag [last season] and he obviously kept improving. He hasn’t lost a match so far this season, and I think we are the only two players to have done that so far. Unfortunately one of us will have to lose and hopefully it isn’t me."

World No.5 Coll achieved his quarter-final berth after coming back from a game down against Egypt’s Mazen Hesham in the day’s standout fixture. The one and only time these two players have met on the PSA Tour came in a five-game thriller at the British Open in May, with Hesham twice fighting back to push the match right to the death before Coll eventually took the win in 74 minutes.

However, on this occasion it was the Egyptian who started the brighter of the two as he took the first game. Coll soon settled into his game plan though to take the second game for the loss of two points before a tight third and fourth also went in the favour of the Kiwi player.

“He makes you feel pretty average on there,” said Coll afterwards.

“It’s very hard to settle into any kind of rhythm. I was feeling really good coming into this match in my short game, but he puts you on edge with his skill and racket speed. I’m happy to get through that in four and looking forward to training tomorrow and playing on Thursday."

Germany’s Simon Rösner also booked his place in the last eight after ousting the tenacious Egyptian Zahed Salem and he will compete against World No.3 Tarek Momen, who put in a composed performance to get the better of Rösner’s compatriot, Raphael Kandra.

The quarter-finals begin on Wednesday October 9, with play beginning at 18:00 (GMT-4). All action will be shown live from Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe & Japan).

However, the quarter-final fixture between top seed Ali Farag and Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez will no longer go ahead after the latter was forced to pull out of the match due to a calf injury. Farag receives a walkover into the semi-final.

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.

Round 3 Top Half

Elaraby Scalps King to Reach Maiden U.S. Open Quarter-Final

Two-time World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby claimed the biggest PSA Tour win of her career to date earlier today at Philadelphia’s Drexel University as she overturned two match balls to scalp New Zealand’s World No.6 Joelle King at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, earning a spot in her first ever Platinum quarter final.

World No.31 Elaraby had already beaten higher-ranked opposition in England’s Victoria Lust in round two, and she upped her game further to take out the tournament’s No.5 seed, with the 19-year-old battling to an 11-7, 7-11, 2-11, 12-10, 11-8 during a scrappy 55 minute encounter.

King held two match balls in the fourth game and the 31-year-old looked set to get the better of her younger opponent. But a dogged showing from Elaraby saw the Egyptian come back from the brink, and she kept her focus despite a number of refereeing decisions in the decider to book her place in the quarter finals.

“I’m out of words,” said Elaraby afterwards.

“I’m really happy with how I played and how I managed to go through the match. I can’t believe it. I feel as though what I was working on in the off season has been paying off now. My coach, Mohamed Effat, has worked with me so hard during the summer, so I’m really happy that I was able to play my best squash.

“My coach just said that I didn’t have anything to lose and just give it my all and that’s what I did.”

Elaraby will take on World No.3 Nour El Tayeb for a place in the semi-finals after El Tayeb put in a composed performance to overcome reigning World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy, beating her 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 to avenge her Black Ball Open defeat to the teenager earlier this year.

“This court holds a lot of special memories for me,” said 2017 US Open champion El Tayeb.

“It was my first major title and doing it with Ali [husband, Farag] was extremely special and even though I had a bad result here last year, I still feel very happy and emotional coming here."

Defending champion Raneem El Welily continued her imperious start to the season with a 21-minute dismantling of fellow Egyptian Yathreb Adel, and she will play World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry in the last eight, with Perry requiring four games to see off the dangerous Malaysian Sivasangari Subramaniam.

In the men’s event, Peru’s Diego Elias navigated a tricky fixture against World No.12 Joel Makin, with an immaculate performance seeing the World No.7 run out an 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 winner.

The Lima-based 22-year-old had beaten World No.12 Makin in their previous two encounters on the PSA Tour, and added a third victory to that tally after a virtuoso display saw him hit his corners with regularity and move Makin around the court superbly to vanquish the Welshman.

“I feel good, I lost a bit of fitness after winning the Pan Ams, but after that I started training again and I have another goal, which is to win one of these big events,” said Elias, who won a gold medal at the Pan American Games during the summer.

“I’m really happy, I knew this was going to be really tough, he’s a really tough player, he’s so physical and fit and I knew it could have been 100 minutes, so I’m really happy I managed to win in three. We [Elias and his father] try to go to all of these events together and all of this wouldn’t be happening if it was not for him. I’m really happy he can come to these tournaments with me, and I really hope I can win one of these big ones.”

Elias will do battle with World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad, who advanced to the quarter finals courtesy of an 11-5, 16-14, 11-7 win.

Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez also progressed to the quarter finals after beating Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 and his reward will be a last eight matchup with World No.1 Ali Farag.

Farag, the 2017 US Open champion alongside wife El Tayeb, built on a comfortable first game victory against Englishman Adrian Waller to complete an 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 victory.

"I’m really happy and feeling sharp and looking forward to progressing through to the quarter finals," Farag said.

“Everyone is playing really well and everyone is really sharp and wants to do well this season. The season is still young but I hope I can achieve as much as last season and give it my all.”

Round three action at the U.S. Open continues on Tuesday October 8 as United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy and defending men’s champion Mohamed ElShorbagy aim to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Play begins at 13:30 (GMT-4) and live coverage will be shown on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
 

Round 2

Reigning Champions ElShorbagy and El Welily Begin Title Defences at U.S. Open

Defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily got their title challenges under way at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships earlier today as they booked their round three spots at the PSA Platinum event held at Drexel University.

ElShorbagy is a three-time champion at the event and will be aiming to add a fourth to his ever expanding collection after already clinching both the China Squash Open and Oracle NetSuite Open titles at the start of this season.

However, Golan did not make it easy for ElShorbagy, with the veteran Spaniard pushing him all the way in a feisty four-game encounter. The Spainard led 8-3 in the fourth, but was unable to hold onto it as the 28-year-old Bristol-based Egyptian closed out the win by an 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 margin.

“When you play Borja, it is always going to be tough,” said ElShorbagy.

“He is one of those players that if you are going to take them out, you have to fight for every point. He is so experienced, he knew what time to change the ball, what time to slow the pace and when to play at a faster pace.

“It would mean a lot to get my fourth title here, every season I work on my game a lot. I finish every season ask myself what went wrong and what I need to work on. I want to be back at No.1 again, I don’t want any other number but No.1. I’m going after that spot big time this season. Every session I did this summer was with that focus, and I’m not going to relax until I get it.”

Meanwhile, World No.3 Tarek Momen survived a big scare as he came through a five-game battle with Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, winning 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 to book his place in the last 16.

Tamimi produced strong and disciplined squash in the first game to take a surprise lead over the World Championship runner-up, and fought back from 2-1 down to set up a decider. But Momen showed just how much his mental resilience has improved over the years in the fifth as he kept his composure to set up a third round meeting with Germany’s Raphael Kandra.

“I always give every player the upmost respect and never underestimate anyone,” said Momen.

“I went into today’s match knowing that Abdulla has a good arsenal of attacking shots and I knew that he has a good game, but I feel the way he played today was well above his ranking. He was just unbelievable and at some points I felt like he couldn’t make any mistakes."

Elsewhere, World No.1 Ali Farag began his attempts to win a second U.S. Open title with a 3-0 win over England No.1 Daryl Selby, while World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad defeated up-and-coming Egyptian Mostafa Asal.

US interest in the men’s draw came to an end at the hands of New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson as he got the better of University of Penn junior Andrew Douglas.

In the women’s draw, World No.1 El Welily took just 23 minutes to despatch fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin in straight games.

The 30-year-old has already reached finals at the China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open this season - winning the former - and she will now face compatriot Yathreb Adel in the next round after she battled past England's Julianne Courtice in a tough five-game encounter at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

“I’m always happy to be back here in Philly,” said World No.1 El Welily afterwards.

“I absolutely love it here and the atmosphere is always amazing. It’s definitely not been a bad start to the season. I’m pretty pleased with the way I have performed, but the season is still very long and it is only two tournaments out of 10 or 12. It counts for nothing so I have to put it behind me and keep moving forward."

Meanwhile, United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy overcame compatriot Olivia Fiechter, despite still struggling with the effects of an adductor strain sustained at the Oracle NetSuite Open.

The Boston-based Harvard-graduate withdrew from her quarter-final match in San Francisco and, sporting heavy strapping on her leg, battled to an 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 victory to ensure that she will face India’s Joshna Chinappa in the last 16.

“I was struggling with a little niggle in my leg from San Francisco,” said 26-year-old Sobhy.

“So I didn’t really know what to expect coming here and whether I was playing or not playing, playing and making it worse. But this tournament means so much to me and I wanted to at least try, so no matter what happened I gave it a shot and tried my best. I’m pleased to win and move to the next round."

Sobhy’s younger sister, Sabrina, bowed out to No.2 seed Camille Serme while US No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne lost out to New Zealand’s Joelle King.

The day’s biggest upset saw Malaysia’s World No.48 Sivasangari Subramaniam down World No.13 Alison Waters to set up a meeting with England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, marking the first time she has reached the last 16 of a PSA Platinum event.

The third round begins on Monday October 7th at 13:30 (GMT-4) local time, with all matches taking place on the glass court in Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center. Fixtures will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.

 

Round One

Quartet of Americans Claim Wins on Opening Day of U.S. Open

The opening day of the 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships saw an American quartet - Andrew Douglas, Olivia Blatchford Clyne, Sabrina Sobhy and Olivia Fiechter - claim victories to move into round two of the PSA Platinum tournament taking place in Philadelphia.

Today’s matches were split between the glass court inside Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, the traditional ‘side court’ located at the same university and also the Racquet Club of Philadelphia - and it was at the glass court that Brooklyn-based wildcard Andrew Douglas claimed his biggest win on the PSA Tour as he scalped Frenchman Lucas Serme.

Douglas, ranked at World No.119, had never made it past the first round of a Platinum event before but the University of Pennsylvania junior played with poise and control to defeat the World No.36 by an 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 scoreline after 75 minutes, and he will face New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson for a place in the third round.

"I didn’t expect to be here, but it’s an amazing feeling,” said 21-year-old Douglas afterwards.

“I have to thank everybody that has come to cheer me on. It means a lot for them to come out and support me and undoubtedly I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.

“I think he was probably a bit nervous, so I wanted to put pressure on him and I wanted to really enjoy the last game without thinking too much about the score and that’s what ended up helping me win the match and maybe helping him feel a bit on edge. I just tried to enjoy every minute on this court and I played well.”

Grayson, meanwhile, got the better of Egypt’s Youssef Soliman at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia in what was the longest match of the day at 107 minutes, while England’s George Parker came through a four-game battle with fellow Englishman Tom Richards at the university to complete what he regards as the biggest win of his career to date.

The World No.40 from Leicester produced a focused performance to get the better of Richards, winning 11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 15-13, despite Richards having three game ball opportunities in the fourth.

"Some people might not understand it, but confidence-wise that’s the biggest win of my career so far," Parker said.

"When it was 10-10, I felt a bit sick deep down in my stomach because I lost so many 3-2s last year to people like [Daryl] Selby, against [Adrian] Waller I was 10-9 up in the fifth and had match balls, so I had that in my mind when I was playing. I was probably a bit aggressive with him and it got a bit heated, but when you’re fighting at the bottom for scraps at No.40 in the world like me, it means everything."

Connecticut-based Spencer Lovejoy was the other US player in action in the men’s draw, and he went down in straight games to Egypt’s Mazen Hesham.

In the women’s draw, wildcard Sabrina Sobhy marked her return to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2016 with a 3-1 victory over Egypt’s Mayar Hany to reach round two in Philadelphia for the first time.

The first two games were nip and tuck as Sobhy edged the opener 13-11, before Hany came back to take the second 11-8. Sobhy, playing in front of home support, steadied her nerves in the third to restore her lead, and she was in complete control in the fourth as she attacked with vigour to earn a round two spot against No.2 seed Camille Serme.

“I was happy with my performance today, the first match of any tournament is always a little nerve-wracking,” Sobhy said.

“Especially with it being in the US, I have family and so many friends that have come out to watch me, so I didn’t want to underperform and lose in 20 minutes after they’ve come out here all the way. I found my game, felt comfortable and enjoyed it out there. I’m looking forward to it [playing on the glass court] a lot. I haven’t really processed it a lot yet. Any tournament on the glass court is a fantastic experience and I’m really looking forward to it.”

US No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne was also in action as she came up against England’s Lucy Turmel, with the match going the way of the American by an 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 scoreline.

She will now take on New Zealand’s No.5 seed Joelle King for a place in round three.

“It feels fantastic, it definitely wasn’t an easy day at the office,” said Blatchford Clyne afterwards.

“Lucy is a fantastic young player and these young ones come and nip at your heels. I’m used to being the young one and trying to nip at other people’s heels! It’s a new experience with someone trying to hunt you, but I’m very happy to be through today."

World No.40 Olivia Fiechter was the other US player to win on the opening day of action as she dispatched England’s Emily Whitlock in four games and she will clash with the country’s No.1 player, Amanda Sobhy, in the next round.

Haley Mendez came close to making it five Americans in the last 32, but she narrowly went down 3-2 to Australia’s former World Champion Rachael Grinham, despite fighting back from five match balls down in the decider.

Round two action begins on Sunday October 6 at 12:00 (GMT-4), with seeded players such as defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily getting their tournaments under way.

Fixtures from the glass court will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
 

Previews

Draws Released for U.S. Open as World Class Squash Returns to Philadelphia

The world’s top squash players will compete for the first PSA Platinum title of the 2019-20 season between October 5-12 at Philadelphia’s Drexel University as the draws for the 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships were released today.

The U.S. Open is one of eight prestigious Platinum events to take place during the 2019-20 PSA World Tour season, and this year’s tournament sees prize money increase by 10% to a record total of $371,000, which is split equally between male and female athletes for a seventh successive year.

Reigning champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily will return to defend their crowns, while men’s World No.1 Ali Farag and women’s World No.5 Nour El Tayeb will also star in Philadelphia – two years after their U.S. Open triumphs saw them become the first married couple in sporting history ever to win the same major sports title on the same day.

World No.1 Farag leads the men’s draw and receives a bye into the second round where he will face either compatriot Karim Ali Fathi or England’s Daryl Selby. The 2017 tournament winner is seeded on the same side of the draw as the likes of World No.7 Mohamed Abouelghar, Peru’s World No.8 Diego Elias and former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad, who he could face in the semi-finals.

Seeded at the opposite side of the draw is defending men’s champion ElShorbagy. The World No.2 will take on either Spain’s Borja Golan or Mexico’s Arturo Salazar in round two.

Three-time winner ElShorbagy is seeded on the same side of the draw as the likes of Germany’s Simon Rosner, who he defeated in last year’s final to lift the title, along with New Zealand’s Paul Coll and Egypt’s World No.3 Tarek Momen, who he could meet in the last four of the PSA Platinum event.

Home favourite Todd Harrity, who reached the last 32 in Philadelphia last year, will play Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly in round one. Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s Andrew Douglas and Connecticut’s Spencer Lovejoy take the wildcard spots and face England’s Declan James and Egypt’s Mazen Hesham, respectively, in round one.

In the women’s draw, World No.1 El Welily leads the line-up and will line up against either wildcard Laila Sedky or Egypt’s Nadine Shahin in round two.

The Egyptian is seeded to come up against France’s World No.3 Camille Serme, who won the tournament back in 2016, in the semi-finals and also has England’s No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry and New Zealand’s World No.6 Joelle King on her side of the draw.

Reigning World Champion El Sherbini is situated at the opposite end of the draw and faces either wildcard Sabrina Sobhy or Egypt’s Mayar Hany in round two.

The two-time runner-up will be looking to get her hands on the coveted trophy for the first time in her career, but has the likes of 2019 British Open winner Nouran Gohar, World No.5 Nour El Tayeb and home favourite Amanda Sobhy standing in her way on her side of the draw.

United States No.1 Sobhy receives a bye into the second round where she will take on either compatriot Olivia Fiechter or England’s Emily Whitlock. Other home interest comes in the form of United States No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne who faces England’s Lucy Turmel in round one, while World No.42 Haley Mendez takes on Australia’s former World No.1 Rachael Grinham.

The U.S. Open gives players the first opportunity to qualify for June’s PSA World Tour Finals. The reigning PSA World Champions and all Platinum event winners automatically qualify for the World Tour Finals. The remaining places are allocated to the highest ranked players on the Road to Egypt Standings, and points for the standings will be on offer at all PSA World Tour events this season.

Glass court action from the U.S. Open will be staged in Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, while matches on the traditional side courts will be held at Drexel University as well as the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

Matches from the glass court will be streamed live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only), the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan) and various broadcast partners.

Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website website. Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
 

Top Squash Stars to Line up at U.S. Open for First Platinum Event of 2019-20 Season

The world’s top squash players will compete for the first PSA Platinum title of the 2019-20 season between October 5-12 as Philadelphia’s Drexel University hosts the 2019 FS Investments U.S Open Squash Championships.

The U.S. Open is one of eight prestigious Platinum events to take place during the 2019-20 PSA World Tour season, and this year’s tournament sees prize money increase by 10% to a record total of $371,000, which is split equally between male and female athletes for a seventh successive year.

Reigning champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily will return to defend their crowns, while men’s World No.1 Ali Farag and women’s World No.5 Nour El Tayeb will also star in Philadelphia - two years after their U.S. Open triumphs saw them become the first married couple in sporting history ever to win the same major sports title on the same day.

Joining ElShorbagy and Farag in the 48-player men’s draw will be World Championship runner-up Tarek Momen, PSA World Tour Finals winner Karim Abdel Gawad, 2018 runner-up Simon Rösner, New Zealand’s Paul Coll, Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar and Peru’s Diego Elias, all of whom are amongst the top eight seeds.

Meanwhile, United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy will hope to challenge El Welily and El Tayeb to win the women’s crown, but will also be up against some of the biggest names in squash, including World Champion Nour El Sherbini, 2016 winner Camille Serme, British Open champion Nouran Gohar, New Zealand’s Joelle King and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry.

The wildcard spots in the women’s event will be taken up by University of Pennsylvania-graduate Reeham Sedky and Harvard-graduate Sabrina Sobhy, the younger sister of Amanda.

Brooklyn’s Andrew Douglas and Connecticut’s Spencer Lovejoy are awarded the wildcard spot in the men’s draw, where World No.47 Todd Harrity is the highest-ranked American.
The U.S. Open gives players their first opportunity to qualify for June’s PSA World Tour Finals. The reigning PSA World Champions and all Platinum event winners automatically qualify for the World Tour Finals. The remaining places are allocated to the highest ranked players on the Road to Egypt Standings, and points for the standings will be on offer at all PSA World Tour events this season.

Glass court action from the U.S. Open will be staged in Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, while matches on the traditional side courts will be held at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

Matches from the glass court will be streamed live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only), the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan) and various broadcast partners.

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 History

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2017

2016

2015

2014 (Women)
(Men)

2013 (Women)
(Men)

2012

2011

2010

History

The U.S. Open Squash Championship began on New Year’s Day, 1954, at the University Club of New York City, and literally changed the sport of squash overnight. The event, first run as a hardball tournament for the top amateur and professional players in the world, crowned its first champion, Henri Salaun, a French-American amateur player. At the end of the four-day event, Open director Ned Bigelow presented Salaun the $500 grand prize. Salaun’s victory over Hashim Khan in the finals graced the front pages of major newspapers, including the New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune, and the Washington Post, all of which were filled with photographs of the Open. New York was abuzz with the excitement.

The Open remained in New York for the next two years but, from 1957 to 1965, the event crisscrossed the country, quickly becoming a prominent tournament in the world of professional squash. It was hosted in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Indianapolis, and Atlantic City, and returned to the University Club of New York in 1963, only to be shuttled off to Buffalo and then Wilmington the following years. During these early years, the Open was dominated by the presence of the Khan family. Hashim Khan won three titles between 1956 and 1963, while his relative, Roshan Khan, also won three titles in the same decade.

In 1966 the U.S. Open merged with the Canadian Open, forming the North American Open, which remained a hardball event. In the 1970s and 80s the Khans continued to overwhelm the squash scene. Sharif Khan made fifteen straight North American finals appearances from 1968 to 1982, winning twelve of those titles. All in all, the Khan family owns a combined twenty-nine U.S. Open and North American Open Championships. The U.S. Open was reborn, once again as a hardball event (while the North American Open ran separately), in 1983 when Howie Rosenthal promoted the event. Both the 1983 and 1984 U.S. Opens were held at the Yale Club of New York with American great Mark Talbott winning in 1983 and falling to Jahangir Khan in the 1984 final.

In 1985, Tom and Hazel Jones, who were managing the title at that time, made the decision to switch the event from a hardball to a softball tournament. Jones moved the Open out to San Francisco and was one of the first to experiment with the 17-inch tin and 15-point scoring format (which was later adopted world-wide for softball events in 1989), where the Open was received very well.

In 1986, Jones moved the Open to Houston, and the following year the venue was switched to the Palladium Night Club in New York City where a brand new, imported portable court from Europe was set up on the dance floor. The Open achieved enormous success that year and has continued to thrive amongst an eager American audience, where players from across the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Pakistan, and France have all claimed championships.

In the late 1990s, US SQUASH acquired the rights to the trademark and has been managing the championship into a world-class event ever since.

 

 Schedule

Round 1
 05 OCT
Round 2
 06 OCT
Round 3
 07 -08
OCT
Quarters
 09  -10 OCT
Semis
 11 OCT
Final
 12 OCT
 

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 Info


Tickets start from $30 and are available for purchase through the official tournament website

Stay up-to-date by following the U.S. Open on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.

Reigning champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily will return to defend their crowns, while men’s World No.1 Ali Farag and women’s World No.5 Nour El Tayeb will also star in Philadelphia – two years after their U.S. Open triumphs saw them become the first married couple in sporting history ever to win the same major sports title on the same day