Women’s
World No.3 Nour El Tayeb and Men’s World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy
prevailed on finals day at the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the
Walter Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, beating New Zealand’s
Joelle King and younger ElShorbagy brother, Marwan, respectively, to
claim the sport’s most lucrative World Series title.
El
Tayeb, the Cairo-born player who won her first World Series title at the
U.S. Open earlier this season, had already endured three five-game
matches, coming from 2-0 down in two of those to win, to reach the
title-decider and once again showed her resilience to edge a tense
five-game battle with King.
The 24-year-old came from 2-1 down and saved two championship balls to
defeat World No.9 King 11-8, 10-12, 11-13, 11-9, 12-10 victory in 78
minutes and claim her share of a record $250,000 prize purse, equal that
on offer in the men's draw.
“I
can’t believe it,” said El Tayeb following her second World Series title
win.
“I felt like I lost this match three or four times! I was down in the
fourth, then I was down in the fifth but looking over at Haitham [Effat]
and Ali [Farag] - they gave me the encouragement, but I really can’t
believe that I won the tournament.
“Everyday that I’ve woken up I’ve felt tired but I knew that I can do
it. I don’t think I’ve ever only played five-setters in a tournament. I
think I will have to give my physical fitness coach a very big bonus!"
Meanwhile,
in the family battle on the men’s draw, it was Mohamed who came out on
top against younger brother Marwan as he produced a masterclass
performance to claim the title in straight-games.
It was the second meeting between the brothers in a major final,
following their clash in the PSA Men’s World Championship final in
December – and it was the elder statesman who yet again took the spoils.
Mohamed
– who returns to World No.1 next month – was in formidable form all
week, not dropping a single game throughout the entire tournament and
continued his winning momentum to dispatch his brother to claim his
sixth title of the season.
“It’s been an incredible season,” said Mohamed.
“After last season - I worked really hard, set new goals that I wanted
to achieve, and it just shows that nothing can stop anyone achieving
their dream if they work hard for it.
“I’m
really glad to get through this match with my brother. He has played
incredible this season and he will still get better. This the second
time we've played in a big final and his first World Series title will
come at the right time - I just wanted to keep it a little bit later
than today."
New
Zealand's World No.9 Joelle King will compete in the final of a PSA
World Series event for the first time in her 13 year career after she
knocked World Champion and three-time tournament winner Raneem El Welily
out of the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family &
EquiTrust Life Insurance Company in a five-game thriller today.
Former World No.4 King suffered a career threatening injury in 2015 just
months after reaching her first ever World Series tournament semi-final,
at the 2014 Windy City Open. But she crowned her steady rise back up
through the rankings with a formidable display against El Welily, coming
from a game behind to take out the 2015, 2016 and 2017 title-holder
7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10.
El Welily – who was targeting her fourth Windy City crown - looked
determined in the first game as she hit with fierce accuracy to take the
opener. However, King came back strong to reach the lucrative final –
with this year’s event offering a record high prize fund of $250,000 in
both the men’s and women’s draws.
“I’m just over the moon that I was able to hold my nerve in the end in
what was another brutal battle,” said King following her huge win.
“I definitely think I’m playing the best squash of my whole career right
now. I think the injury helped me go away and figure out a few things
that were missing in my game and I’ve never really looked back.
“The exciting thing is that I still feel like there is a lot more to
come in my game. I think I’m just enjoying my squash which is the main
thing and I think it shows and I'm really excited to be in the final."
The
World No.9 will now face World No.3 Nour El Tayeb of Egypt after she
defeated England’s Sarah-Jane Perry in another thrilling 3-2 encounter
in the women’s event.
“After I won the first two games, I started to feel nervous,” said El
Tayeb. “I was thinking ‘am I going to be in another final? This is huge’
and I let go of thinking about the actual points and the squash.
“In the fourth, I started to play well again so I’m happy I won of
course.”
In
the men’s event, Egyptian brothers Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy will
lock horns in the finale in what will be their first meeting since they
clashed in the final of the 2017 PSA World Championships in Manchester
last December, when it was Mohamed who claimed victory on the day.
The pair saw off the challenge of compatriots Ali Farag and Tarek Momen
to earn their spot in the final.
“I’m so happy to reach another final in Chicago and if I could get my
first ever World Series title here it would mean a lot,” said Marwan
after reaching his second successive Windy City Open final.
“To play in another major final with my brother is amazing. We played in
the World Championship final and to play against each other again, this
time in Chicago, is fantastic.”
Tomorrow
match will be the seventh final of the 2017/18 season for Mohamed’ – who
will return to World No.1 next month – and he will be aiming to collect
title number six so far this campaign.
“It’s great to be in another final, it will be my third final in
Chicago,” said Mohamed following his win over compatriot Momen.
“I’m very happy to be playing my brother, he beat me here last year, so
I will be looking for revenge.
“I’m really happy with the way he has been playing this season and I’m
really proud of him. He has been playing really well and playing with
consistency and he is showing the whole world what he can do and what he
can achieve.
“The way he played today was unbelievable to take Ali 3-0. We learn from
each other but tomorrow he is going to go for me and I know he feels
that this is his time to take his first World Series event and it’s up
to me to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
World
No.3 Nour El Tayeb staged a huge comeback from 2-0 down to knock World
No.1 Nour El Sherbini out of the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the
Walter Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company in an all-Egyptian
quarter-final battle staged under the chandeliers of the University Club
of Chicago’s Cathedral Hall.
Top seed El Sherbini took the advantage in the opening two games after,
clawing back game balls in both to take a commanding lead over her
compatriot.
However, U.S. Open winner El Tayeb refused to be beaten and she showed
the same resilience displayed in her round two encounter with Welshwoman
Tesni Evans – where she saved four match-balls to come back and win 3-2
– as she claimed the next three games to book herself a semi-final berth
at this year’s event – which offers a record high prize fund of $250,000
in both the men’s and women’s draws.
“Nour
is an unbelievable player and we have had a lot of battles this season,”
said 24-year-old El Tayeb following her win.
“My coach and husband Ali [Farag] told me to dig in and told me not to
worry about the first two games because I was playing well. Being 2-0
down against Nour El Sherbini is probably the hardest thing in the world
on a squash court but I just thought I am playing so well and so I just
let loose but it was close all the way.”
Joining
El Tayeb in the next round to make it a family affair is husband Farag,
who dispatched Australia’s Cameron Pilley in straight-games to reach the
semi-finals for the second consecutive year.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” said Farag after his victory.
“Both of us won our matches and hopefully the tournament is not over for
either of us, but we have very tough competitors tomorrow. The Tour is
very deep now, and everyone is playing so well but we hope to keep going
forward.”
Farag and El Tayeb will be joined at the last four stage by another
married couple after Tarek Momen and defending three-time champion
Raneem El Welily also made their way through with wins over compatriot
Karim Abdel Gawad and England’s Alison Waters, respectively.
“I’m so glad that I’m having a great week here,” said Momen. “It is my
first semi-final at the Windy City Open.
"Karim
and I spend a lot of time together and we have had a lot of tough
battles in the past with a lot of them going in his favour, so I’m
really glad that I came through tonight in three.
“Raneem and I just try to
enjoy ourselves on court - everyone is focused on their task and we are
both trying to reach as far as possible in this tournament. We just try
to support each other the best way we can.”
El
Welily, who recorded her 18th successive win in Chicago, added:
“Obviously Tarek was playing before me, so I was warming up during his
match and it's fantastic that he won today. He's been playing well and
it's a big win for him and I'm happy that we're both in the semi-finals
- it doesn't happen that often.”
Completing the family theme in Chicago are brothers Marwan and Mohamed
ElShorbagy as they defeated Tournament of Champions winner Simon Rösner
and ‘Colombian Cannonball’ Miguel Angel Rodriguez, respectively, to
complete an all-Egyptian last four in the men’s draw.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Joelle King and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry
complete the women’s line-up after they overcame American Amanda Sobhy
and Camille Serme of France, respectively.
American
World No.30 Amanda Sobhy cemented her return to top form following a
career-threatening injury with an emotional win over World No.6 Nouran
Gohar in the second round of the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the
Walter Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company.
The charismatic US star endured a 10-month injury lay-off following a
torn achilles in the early stages of 2017, during which time a return to
the top of the World Rankings seemed beyond reach. After an under-par
return to action earlier this year at New York’s Tournament of Champions
she showed that she is back to her best as she recovered from dropping
the first game to prevail 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5.
Gohar took the first game to put Sobhy on the defensive, but she battled
back in the second showing impressive resolve and went from
strength-to-strength from there, leaving the Egyptian struggling to find
an answer to her attacking onslaught as she booked a place in a third
successive Windy City Open quarter-final – which this year offers a
record high prize fund of $250,000 in both the men’s and women’s draws.
“It’s been such a long journey,” said an emotional Sobhy following her
win. “I know I came back at ToC but I really had my eye set on this
tournament. I really wanted to prove to myself that I’ve got this and
told my coaches that I wanted to go on my own to do it by myself.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I’ve come all this way and I’ve fought
back from injury and I can still beat the top people.
“The fact that I’ve come so far and gone through so much and built
myself back up from the ground and got this win against a top six
player, I’m really happy.
“I have a massive team around me and it has been a major team effort - I
couldn’t have done it without all of their help and support. It has been
a long process, but they have stuck by me and I can’t thank them enough.
“If there was ever a tournament to win then this would be a good one. I
love Chicago - being the home girl is awesome and having everyone’s
support.”
Elsewhere
in the women’s event, England’s former World No.1 Laura Massaro was
knocked out by New Zealand’s Joelle King after the World No.9 produced a
phenomenal comeback to reach the quarter-finals of this year’s
tournament.
King looked down and out in the first game as a confident Massaro took
full control before the Kiwi regained her composure to use her
athleticism to full effect to win 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6 in 70
minutes.
“Playing Laura is never easy,” said the 29-year-old.
“I’ve only beaten her once, and that was last year, so it’s always a
tough mental battle. I had to dig deep to come back so I’m really proud
of that win.
Defending
champion Raneem El Welily also kept her title defence alive as she
conquered England’s Emily Whitlock in straight-games, while England’s
Alison Waters completes the women’s winners on day four.
In the men’s draw, Colombia’s Miguel Angel Rodriquez and Hong Kong’s Max
Lee played out one of the matches of the tournament so far as they
brought the crowd inside the University Club of Chicago’s Cathedral Hall
to their feet during a 78-minute thriller.
Rodriguez
took the opener, before Lee – who dumped World No.9 Mohamed Abouelghar
out in round one - battled back to take a 2-1 lead forcing Rodriguez to
dig deep to claim an 11-7, 11-13, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6 victory in a
humdinger of a match.
“We are good friends and I’ve played with Max many times before,” said
Rodriguez.
“He was 2-1 up and mentally it is very tough to come back from that but
I think I stayed positive. I saw at the end of the fourth he was tired
so I had to come back stronger.
“I’m pleased to see that he is back at his best, he is a fantastic
player. We enjoyed the game and I think the crowd did too but I’m happy
to win and to be in the quarter-finals and with my performance.”
Rodriguez
will go up against soon-to-be World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy in the next
round after he sailed through, defeating France’s Mathieu Castagnet in
straight-games, while Egyptian pair Tarek Momen and Karim Abdel Gawad
also prevailed - with Momen securing his first ever victory over
three-time World Champion Ramy Ashour.
Ashour started the match strongly, moving with grace and ease as he
unleashed an array of sublime winners, but as the match wore on it was
clear to see that the Egyptian was struggling with his movement as Momen
– who has reached the Qatar Classic and Tournament of Champions finals
this season – maintained his focus to close out the win.
“It’s
a very tricky match playing against Ramy,” said Momen.
“We grew up in the same generation and he is only a few months older
than me and for the past 25 years I haven’t beaten him once.
“The way he played the first game is a taste of what he can do on court.
He’s had some struggles for the past few years and he’s trying to
comeback and so, I’m always on edge because I don’t know what to expect.
“I’m very happy with the way I played today and how I handled the
situation because I couldn’t tell if something was going to happen. I
felt like we both played some good squash and I’m happy that I’m
through.”
England’s
three-time World Champion Nick Matthew suffered a shock defeat in the
second round of the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family
and EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, crashing out at the hands of
Australian World No.20 Cameron Pilley.
35-year-old Pilley put together one of his best ever performances
against Matthew to secure his first win over the 37-year-old Englishman
since the 2015 Hong Kong Open as he took a 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7
victory in 67 minutes under the chandeliers of the University Club of
Chicago’s beautiful Cathedral Hall.
The Australian took the first game before a resilient Matthew battled
back in the second. However, from then on Pilley played with confidence
to close out the win and reach the quarter-finals in Chicago for the
first time in his career.
“We have played so many times in our career and I think that’s only my
fourth ever win over him,” said Pilley following his win.
“Given what Nick’s achieved over his whole career - he is one of the
best ever players - and even though he is coming to the end of his
career, I’m quite happy to notch up a win here in Chicago.
“Because I haven’t had a lot of success against him you know that your
game plan might be wrong. He has nullified that so many times before
that you second guess how you want to play.
“In a way it’s a privilege to beat him in his last season because he’s
so up for every tournament because he knows every city he visits will be
the last time he competes there.”
The
Australian will now face Egypt’s World No.3 Ali Farag in the
quarter-finals after he downed Pilley’s countryman, Ryan Cuskelly, in
straight-games.
"I had the right game plan today and had to work on winning the battle
in the back corners and I think I managed to do that," said Farag.
"It never got easier. But the more I dragged him backwards, the more the
front court opened up. I was happy with how I played and with how I kept
my discipline."
Meanwhile
in the women’s event, Farag’s wife, Nour El Tayeb, produced a tenacious
comeback against World No.12 Tesni Evans to save four match balls before
claiming a huge 3-2 victory.
The Egyptian was staring down the barrel of defeat in the fourth game as
Evans played with accuracy and flair to punish the World No.3. Evans
held four match balls before El Tayeb turned it around to take the
pivotal fourth game by a 14-12 margin and go onto win the match.
“My coach and Ali [Farag] have always told me that I have to dig in no
matter the score,” said El Tayeb.
“She played unbelievably well and was reading me all over the court. I
was struggling, every time I played a shot, she was there. I just had to
dig in and I’m very lucky to be through to the next round.
“The fifth game was very hard mentally but I’m sure it was harder for
her because she had the match balls. I think I tried to relax a bit in
the fifth, so I could play my squash and I think I did that.”
El Tayeb now sets up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash with compatriot
and top seed Nour El Sherbini after she eased past American home hope
Olivia Blatchford by an 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 margin while Englands
Sarah-Jane Perry and Camille Serme of France completed the winners on
day three of action.
Egyptian teenager Hania El Hammamy produced the biggest win of her
career to knock eight-time World Champion Nicol David out of the 2018
Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family & EquiTrust Life
Insurance Company in a huge first round upset.
Former World No.1 David looked to be on course for a routine win when
she took a 2-0 lead. However, a brilliant response from 17-year-old El
Hammamy saw her battle back to secure a second-round berth for the first
time at the tournament - which this year offers a record high prize fund
of $250,00 in both the men's and women's draws.
The teenager played without fear as she stared down the barrel of
defeat, fighting back to level the scores before going on to win a tense
and nervy fifth game to claim the biggest win of her career 8-11, 8-11,
11-4, 11-3, 11-9 after 54 minutes.
“It was such a good match against a legend like Nicol,” said El Hammamy.
“I can’t believe it, I was 2-0 down and I tried to stay positive and not
let myself get down. I just wanted to focus and play as well as I could.
“I was telling myself that I’m playing against a legend, I’m 2-0 down
and I haven’t played my best, so I thought ‘let’s go and keep your mind
positive’.
“It’s my first win over somebody in the top ten and it’s not just anyone
in the top ten, it’s Nicol and it’s an amazing feeling.”
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, World Champion Raneem El Welily began her
title defence strongly as she dispatched Belgian qualifier Tinne Gilis
in straight-games. The Egyptian World No.2 will now take on England’s
Emily Whitlock in the next round after she defeated France’s Coline
Aumard.
"The first match of any event is always hard mentally and emotionally,”
said E Welily.
"It takes time to adjust to it and she's been playing very well. You can
see from her recent results and how she was on court today that she's
hungry - but I just tried to come here and be positive and enjoy every
moment of being on court.”
In the men’s draw Hong Kong qualifier Max Lee pulled off a huge upset as
he dumped World No.9 Mohamed Abouelghar out in the first-round courtesy
of a comprehensive straight-games triumph that saw him produce some of
his best squash of recent years.
The Hong Kong number one has struggled with repeating cramp issues
during the past year, falling from World No.12 to No.30, but looked to
have put his issues behind him as he moved with ease to dominate the
court against Abouleghar and prevail in what was a high-quality
exhibition of shot-making.
"Today I think I played very well and I'm very, very happy to win," said
Lee.
"He's a very good player and is still young - I just tried my best in
every point. I had a few lucky bounces at times and the conditions maybe
suited me better and he made a lot of errors which helped me.
"I've been suffering a lot with cramp over the past couple of seasons so
it's good to be winning matches again. I played a few events before
coming here and I feel like I have some momentum behind me now and that
my game is coming back, so it's good."
Meanwhile, tournament top seed and 2016 Windy City Open winner Mohamed
ElShorbagy ousted England’s Declan James in straight games to secure his
place in the next round of the Windy City Open where he will face
France’s Mathieu Castagnet.
“I feel good,” said ElShorbagy after the match.
“I came here and wanted to play well and I’m really looking forward to
seeing how I can do this year. I have made it to two finals before and I
really enjoy playing here and I hope I can go all the way here this
year.”
It was plain sailing for the top seeds on day one of the Windy City Open
presented by the Walter Family and EquiTrust Life Insurance Company as
women’s top seed Nour El Sherbini and men’s number two seed Ali Farag
breezed through to round two.
Egypt’s World No.3 Farag came through an entertaining clash with
Switzerland’s World No.24 Nicolas Mueller to secure his round two berth
at this year’s event - which offers a record high prize fund of $250,00
in both the men's and women's draws.
Farag and Mueller constantly exchanged points in a high-octane battle
much to the delight of the crowd inside the University Club of Chicago’s
Cathedral Hall, with the Egyptian eventually claiming a 18-16, 11-4,
11-13, 11-5 victory.
“I think the first game was crucial,” said Farag following his win.
“It gave me a confidence boost going into the second and I was able to
run away with the points and it gave me an advantageous 2-0 lead.
“He came back very strong in the third but thankfully I had Nour [El
Tayeb] and Marwan [ElShorbagy] in my corner and I could see he was
getting a little tired. In the end I was more lucky that I didn’t have
to play two qualifying matches before today.”
ElShorbagy ensured he will feature in the next round in Chicago after he
defeated Hong Kong’s Leo Au inside the hour mark. The Egyptian pair will
be joined by the likes of England’s three-time World Champion Nick
Matthew and Tournament of Champions winner Simon Rösner in round two.
Meanwhile in the women’s event, World No.1 El Sherbini made light work
of India’s Dipika Pallikal Karthik, dispatching the World No.20 in just
20 minutes as she looks to capture her first ever Windy City title after
finishing runner-up on the last two occasions to compatriot Raneem El
Welily.
“I’ve reached the final a couple of times but never won it,” said El
Sherbini who will now face United States No.1 Olivia Blatchford in round
two.
“Maybe it’s because I always face the same opponent in Raneem [El Welily]
but hopefully this time we can reach the final again.
“I love coming to Chicago and playing at this venue. It was a very
tricky first round and against Dipika it is always tough so I’m just
looking forward to this event and I hope this time it is going to be a
good tournament for me.”
France’s Camille Serme and Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb are among the names to
join El Sherbini in the next round after they defeated Canadian
qualifier Danielle Letourneau and Egypt’s Yathreb Adel – who was forced
to retire from her match due to injury – respectively in round one.
The final day of qualifying at the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the
Walter Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company saw upsets in the
women’s draw as Belgian World No.59 Tinne Gilis reached her first World
Series main draw, while older sister, Nele, and Canada’s World No.35
Hollie Naughton missed out.
World No.28 Nele Gilis fell to a straight-games defeat in just 28
minutes against Canada’s World No.42 Danielle Letourneau on the final
day of qualifying for the World Series event, while her younger sister,
Tinne, successfully made it past World No.40 Milou van der Heijden by a
9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 scoreline to reach her first ever World Series
main draw.
The 20-year-old Belgian will now face World Champion Egypt’s Raneem El
Welily in round one, with the latter aiming for her fourth successive
Windy City Open title at this year’s tournament.
Elsewhere on the women’s draw, Canadian favourite Naughton could not
find a way past Egyptian 17-year-old Nada Abbas who prevailed in
straight games by an 11-8, 11-5, 12-10 margin to book her place in the
main draw where she will take on Welshwoman Tesni Evans in round one.
They will be joined by England’s Jenny Duncalf, Egyptians Yathreb Adel
and Nadine Shahin, France’s Coline Aumard and Canada’s Samantha Cornett
after they all secured their place in the main draw on the last day of
qualifying.
Meanwhile, it was plain sailing for the top seeds in the men’s
qualifying draw as the top eight seeded players ensured a safe passage
through to round one of the Windy City Open.
Top seed Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller successfully manoeuvred past
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in straight-games to book a main draw slot, where
he will line up against U.S. Open winner and number two seed Ali Farag
in round one.
Scotland’s Alan Clyne, meanwhile, joins Mueller in the main draw after
he came through a tough 72-minute encounter against England’s Nathan
Lake. The Scotsman held his nerve to come from a game down to seal an
11-13, 11-4, 11-7, 13-11 victory and will now face Australia’s Cameron
Pilley in round one.
They will be joined in the main draw by French duo Gregoire Marche and
Lucas Serme, Egypt’s Karim Ali Fathi, Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and
Hong Kong pair Max Lee and Tsz Fung Yip.
Main draw matches held on the glass show court inside the University
Club of Chicago’s Cathedral Hall will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World) and Eurosport Player (Europe Only), while the semi-finals and
finals will also be shown on mainstream broadcasters, such as BT Sport,
beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.
Tickets start from $25 and can be purchased through Eventbrite.
For all the latest news on the Windy City Open, go to
www.windycityopen.com or follow the tournament on Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram.
Defending
champion Gregory Gaultier has pulled out of next week’s Windy City Open
presented by the Walter Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company after
failing to recover from a partial rupture of his adductor.
The Frenchman - who will lose his World No.1 ranking to Egypt’s Mohamed
ElShorbagy on March 1 - suffered the injury during January’s J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions and, after withdrawing from the Swedish Open
earlier this month, will now miss out on the opportunity to defend his
Windy City Open title.
Gaultier’s withdrawal means that ElShorbagy takes the top seeded
position, while World No.3 Ali Farag moves up to number two and he will
now take on a qualifier.
World No.4 Marwan ElShorbagy replaces Farag as the number three seed and
will clash with Hong Kong’s Leo Au, while Mohamed Abouelghar moves up to
the number eight seed position and will take on a qualifier.
Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet - whose incredible athleticism saw him go
viral after a stunning retrieval against Daryl Selby at the 2016
instalment - moves into the main draw from qualifying and will also line
up against a qualifier.
The 2018 Windy City Open will take place between February 22-28 at the
University Club of Chicago and has a prize fund of $500,000 split
equally among the men’s and women’s draws - a record amount for a PSA
World Series tournament.
All matches held on the glass court inside the University Club of
Chicago’s Cathedral Hall will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World)
and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while mainstream broadcasters around
the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro,
will show action from the semi-finals and finals.
Tickets start from $25 and can be purchased here.
For all the latest news on the Windy City Open, go to
www.windycityopen.com or follow the tournament on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram.
Revised Main Draw – 2018 Men’s Windy City Open presented by the Walter
Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) v [Qualifier]
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [Qualifier]
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [Qualifier]
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [5] Nick Matthew (ENG)
[7] Simon Rösner (GER) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Qualifier]
James Willstrop (ENG) v [WC] Chris Hanson (USA)
Leo Au (HKG) v [4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Borja Golan (ESP)
Diego Elias (PER) v Cesar Salazar (MEX)
Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [6] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[8] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v [Qualifier]
Paul Coll (NZL) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v [Qualifier]
Declan James (ENG) v [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
Main Draw – 2018 Women’s Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family
and EquiTrust Life Insurance Company
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND)
[Qualifier] v [14] Olivia Blatchford (USA)
[13] Tesni Evans (WAL) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [7] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
[8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v [WC] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
[Qualifier] v [11] Annie Au (HKG)
[15] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[Qualifier] v [3] Camille Serme (FRA)
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Donna Urquhart (AUS)
[Qualifier] v [9] Joelle King (NZL)
[12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v Victoria Lust (ENG)
Salma Hany (EGY) v [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[6] Nicol David (MAS) v Fiona Moverley (ENG)
Joey Chan (HKG) v [10] Alison Waters (ENG)
[16] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY)
The
2018 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family and EquiTrust Life
Insurance Company will become the most lucrative PSA World Series
tournament ever next month when $500k of prize money will be split
equally across both the men’s and women’s draws between February 22-28.
Held
at the University Club of Chicago’s iconic and intimate Cathedral Hall,
the Windy City Open became the second World Series tournament to offer
parity in prize money between male and female players back in 2015 and
will offer a $200k increase in prize money compared to last year.
World Champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily feature in a
world-class draw that will contain 64 players, representing upwards of
15 different countries, while World No.1s Gregory Gaultier and Nour El
Sherbini will also be in action.
El Welily claimed an unprecedented third successive Windy City Open
crown last March with victory over El Sherbini in the final, while
France’s Gaultier collected his second title at the tournament after
overcoming World Championship runner-up Marwan ElShorbagy.
Also competing at the tournament will be 37-year-old Englishman Nick
Matthew, who will make his last ever appearance at the tournament. The
Yorkshireman made history in 2015 when he took the title to become the
oldest ever winner of a PSA World Series tournament.
The tournament wildcards will be made up of men’s World No.68 Chris
Hanson and women’s World No.208 Sabrina Sobhy.
New-York born Hanson is in line to make his fourth appearance at the
tournament, while Harvard Junior Sobhy - the younger sister of former
World No.6 Amanda - makes her first PSA World Tour appearance since
2016.
"Becoming the most lucrative World Series tournament ever is a huge
honour and is indicative of the Windy City Open’s status as one of
squash’s premier events," said Tournament Promoter John Flanigan.
"We would like to thank our title sponsors - the Walter Family and the
EquiTrust Life Insurance Company - for their support and look forward to
welcoming the world’s greatest players back to the University Club of
Chicago once again."
In addition to the record prize money, players will also be competing
for points on the PSA World Series Standings as they aim to secure a top
eight berth, which would guarantee them a spot at June’s PSA World
Series Finals.
Qualifying for the tournament takes place between February 20-21, while
the main draw will be staged between February 22-28.
Action from the glass court matches will be streamed live on SQUASHTV
(Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), with matches from
the semi-finals and finals also being shown live on mainstream
broadcasters around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports
Australia and Astro.
Tickets start from $25 and can be purchased here
For all the latest news on the Windy City Open, go to
www.windycityopen.com
or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
2018 Men’s Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family and
EquiTrust Life Insurance Company – Entry List
1) Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
2) Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
3) Ali Farag (EGY)
4) Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
5) Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
6) Nick Matthew (EGY)
7) Tarek Momen (EGY)
8) Simon Rösner (GER)
9) Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
10) Diego Elias (PER)
11) Paul Coll (NZL)
12) James Willstrop (ENG)
13) Ramy Ashour (EGY)
14) Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
15) Saurav Ghosal (IND)
16) Daryl Selby (ENG)
17) Borja Golan (ESP)
18) Cameron Pilley (ENG)
19) Omar Mosaad (EGY)
20) Cesar Salazar (EGY)
21) Leo Au (HKG)
22) Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
23) Zahed Mohamed (EGY)
Wildcard) Chris Hanson (USA)
2018 Women’s Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family and
EquiTrust Life Insurance Company – Entry List
1) Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
2) Raneem El Welily (EGY)
3) Camille Serme (FRA)
4) Laura Massaro (ENG)
5) Nouran Gohar (EGY)
6) Nicol David (MAS)
7) Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
8) Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
9) Joelle King (NZL)
10) Alison Waters (ENG)
11) Annie Au (HKG)
12) Amanda Sobhy (USA)
13) Tesni Evans (WAL)
14) Olivia Blatchford (USA)
15) Joshna Chinappa (IND)
16) Emily Whitlock (ENG)
17) Victoria Lust (ENG)
18) Donna Urquhart (AUS)
19) Salma Hany (EGY)
20) Joey Chan (HKG)
21) Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND)
22) Fiona Moverley (ENG)
23) Mariam Metwally (EGY)
Wildcard) Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
World
Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy is in line to make his first appearance at
the prestigious Canary Wharf Classic for five years after the entry list
for the PSA M100 tournament was released today (January 12).
This year’s instalment of the Canary Wharf Classic - which will
celebrate its 15th anniversary between March 5-9 - will feature $100,000
in prize money for the first time and the increase in financial
compensation has enabled the tournament to attract a high-calibre draw
to London’s East Wintergarden, with six of the world’s top 10 players in
attendance.
ElShorbagy, who defeated younger brother Marwan to finally get his hands
on the PSA World Championship trophy last month, heads the entry list
ahead of U.S. Open champion Ali Farag, Marwan and six-time winner Nick
Matthew.
"I am really looking forward to be back playing there, I’ve never won it
before, so I would love to get my name on that trophy," said ElShorbagy.
"We always get an amazing crowd there and it makes the tournament very
exciting. Having the glass court in a such amazing venue like that makes
it even more exciting for the players."
Matthew, the 37-year-old from Sheffield, will be making his final ever
appearance at the tournament after announcing his intention to retire at
the end of the season and the three-time World Champion returns to East
Wintergarden to defend his crown after beating Egypt’s Fares Dessouky in
last year’s final.
Matthew said: "Canary Wharf is absolutely one of my favourite
tournaments on the Tour.
"I’ve been lucky enough to have been successful there, but more than
that I love the unique atmosphere at the event, it can be an incredible
one to play in."
The other top 10 players involved in the tournament are Qatar Classic
runner-up Tarek Momen and World No.8 Simon Rösner, while four-time
winner James Willstrop - the current World No.13 - is seeded eighth for
the tournament.
Meanwhile, World No.56 Nathan Lake, the Cheltenham-based 25-year-old,
has been named the tournament wildcard for the event.
The qualifying stages will be held at the Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness
Club between March 3-4, while the main draw gets under way at East
Wintergarden on March 5 and lasts until the final on March 9.
All matches from the main draw will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and
final will be broadcast on mainstream channels around the world, such as
BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.
The 2018 instalment of the tournament will also be a historic one as it
becomes the first ranking PSA World Tour event to be played using a
best-of-three games scoring format. All round of sixteen and
quarter-final matches will be played under best-of-three scoring, while
the semi-finals and final will revert to the traditional best-of-five
format.
