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reports & Results

Preview

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Quarters

Semis

Finals

Latest

draw

US Open 2021
Men's Draw
 01 - 06 Oct
Philadelphia, USA, $150k
Round Two
02 Oct
Round Three
03 Oct
Quarters
04 Oct
Semis
05 Oct
Final
06 Oct

[1] Ali Farag (EGY)
11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (37m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND)

Ali Farag
11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 11-7 (65m)
Mazen Hesham


Ali Farag

11-5, 11-7, 16-14 (64m)
Joel Makin

Joel Makin

11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8 (83m)
Tarek Momen

 
Tarek Momen
5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-3 (91m)
 
Mostafa Asal
 
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (60m)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA)
8-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-9 (70m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Sébastien Bonmalais
11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9 (61m)
 
Joel Makin
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL)
13-11, 14-12, 11-8 (59m)
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
James Willstrop (ENG)
9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 (47m)
[5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
James Willstrop
11-9, 7-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3 (63m)
Mohamed Abouelghar



James Willstrop

11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 11-9 (48m)
 
 Tarek Momen
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
11-4, 7-11, 11-3, 11-5 (35m)
Nicolas Müller (SUI)
Patrick Rooney (ENG)
7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 11-5, 13-11 (66m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
Patrick Rooney
 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (43m)
 
Tarek Momen
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY)
11-4, 11-8, 11-4 (31m)
Ramit Tandon (IND)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL)
11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (42m)
Victor Crouin (FRA)
Paul Coll
11-2, 11-3, 11-3 (35m)
Youssef Ibrahim
Paul Coll
11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7 (103m)
Mostafa Asal

Mostafa Asal

11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 2-11, 12-10 (96m)
 
Diego Elias


 
Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (66m)
[9/16]
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
6-11, 11-1, 11-8, 11-9 (56m)
Greg Lobban (SCO)
Baptiste Masotti
10-12, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-3 (77m)
Mostafa Asal  
[8] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
11-6, 11-4, 14-12 (49m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
[7] Diego Elias (PER)
11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (32m)
Adrian Waller (ENG)
Diego Elias
11-2, 11-4, 10-12, 12-10 (48m)
Raphael Kandra
Diego Elias
5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-1 (45m)
 
Mohamed Elshorbagy
Raphael Kandra (GER)
11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (58m)
Vikram Malhotra (IND)
Youssef Soliman (EGY)
11-2, 12-10, 11-2 (36m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX)
Youssef Soliman
11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6 (61m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
12-10, 11-6, 5-11, 12-10 (48m)
[2]
Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)
First Round

Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 5-11, 11-7, 11-2, 0-0 retired (29m)
James Willstrop (ENG) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 (34m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [WC] Faraz Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 11-9 (50m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (32m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-2: 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 (68m)
Ramit Tandon (IND) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-1: 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (75m)
Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [WC] Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-1: 11-4, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4 (43m)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-2: 9-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 (80m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-1: 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 11-2 (56m)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6 (45m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (60m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Ben Coleman (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8 (65m)
Vikram Malhotra (IND) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (49m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-2: 4-11, 11-3, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4 (55m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-3, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5 (34m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (35m)
 

US Open 2021
Womens Draw
 01 - 06 Oct
Philadelphia, USA, $150k
Round Two
02 Oct
Round Three
03 Oct
Quarters
04 Oct
Semis
05 Oct
Final
06 Oct

[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (23m)
Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG)

Nour El Sherbini
11-2, 11-6, 11-7 (21m)
Nadine Shahin
Nour El Sherbini
11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (24m)
Melissa Alves
Nour El Sherbini
8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 (59m)
 Hania El Hammamy
 

 
Hania El Hammamy
9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 (74m)
 
 Nouran Gohar
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY)
11-9, 13-11, 4-11, 11-9 (45m)
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA)
Melissa Alves (FRA)
11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (43m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG)
Melissa Alves
11-8, 11-2, 11-6 (27m)
Georgina Kennedy
Georgina Kennedy (ENG)
11-7, 11-6, 11-1 (25m)
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[6] Joelle King (NZL)
14-12, 11-7, 11-4 (32m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
Joelle King
11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (27m)
Joshna Chinappa
Joelle King
11-2, 11-8, 11-7 (39m)
 
Hania El Hammamy
[9/16] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
11-2, 11-7, 11-3 (20m)
Anna Serme (CZE)
Nada Abbas (EGY)
11-1, 11-2, 12-10 (29m)
[WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA)
Nada Abbas
9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 (53m)
Hania El Hammamy
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
11-4, 13-11, 11-6 (35m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO)
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
11-4, 11-2, 11-9 (23m)
Lee Ka Yi (HKG)
Amanda Sobhy
11-1, 8-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 (43m)
Olivia Fiechter
Olivia Fiechter
11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (37m)
Nele Gilis
 
 



Olivia Fiechter

11-5, 11-2, 11-3 (32m)
 
Nouran Gohar



 

Olivia Fiechter (USA)
11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (20m)
Donna Lobban (AUS)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL)
11-8, 11-7, 11-5 (41m)
[9/16] Tesni Evans (WAL)
Nele Gilis
11-7, 17-19, 12-10, 11-3 (56m)
Hollie Naughton
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN)
11-5, 19-17, 11-7 (36m)
[7] Salma Hany (EGY)
[5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
12-14, 8-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-9 (58m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry
11-4, 1-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-4 (45m)
Emily Whitlock


Sarah-Jane Perry

11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (39m)
 
Nouran Gohar
Emily Whitlock (WAL)
9-11, 11-5, 11-0, 11-0 (31m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY)
[9/16] Alison Waters (ENG)
11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (30m)
Tze Lok Ho (HKG)
Alison Waters
11-4, 11-8, 11-5 (33m)
Nouran Gohar
[9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (28m)
[2]
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
First Round

Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-2: 7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10 (59m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4 (35m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (23m)
Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-1 (23m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [WC] Lucie Stefanoni (USA) 3-1: 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-2 (26m)
Anna Serme (CZE) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-2: 11-9, 3-11, 14-12, 6-11, 12-10 (55m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Menna Nasser (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 (23m)
[WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (21m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 (23m)
Ka Yi Lee (HKG) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-2: 11-6, 1-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-2 (36m)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (29m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5 (53m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 11-3 (40m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-2: 6-11, 14-12, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7 (57m)
Emily Whitlock (WAL) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-5 (21m)
Tze Lok Ho (HKG) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 (32m)
 

Reports

Finals

Asal and Gohar Capture U.S. Open Titles

Egyptian duo Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar are the 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist champions after they overcame compatriots Mostafa Asal and Hania El Hammamy, respectively, on a thrilling finals night at Philadelphia’s Arlen Specter US Squash Center.

20-year-old Asal has become the youngest ever U.S. Open champion after launching a monumental comeback from two games down to capture his first PSA World Tour Platinum title.

It brings an end to a gruelling tournament for Asal, who battled through a 103-minute fixture against World No.3 Paul Coll in the quarter finals, a 96-minute humdinger with Diego Elias in the semi finals and a 91-minute title decider with Momen.

The World No.10 was second best for the first two games but found a new lease of life in the third and fourth games to draw level, overturning a championship ball in the latter. Asal’s mental strength was unwavering in the decider as he retrieved ball after ball to claim a stunning 5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-3 victory.

“I don’t believe the feeling," said Asal after his sixth PSA title.

"I have all the respect for Tarek, he was 2-0 up and I think it was a great battle today. I’ve been having so many 3-2s in the last couple of days and I cannot believe it until now. I was having problems before the tournament, whether I would enter or if I couldn’t, but I managed to win the title.

“I want to thank everyone, my coaches, my physios, mentally for me to be able to recover after all of these matches is something unbelievable. Lastly, I want to thank US Squash and the PSA, Lee Beachill [PSA Chief Operating Officer] and everyone behind this tournament. Thank you guys for having us again and I can’t wait for the next event for this tournament.”

Meanwhile, Gohar has captured back-to-back U.S. Open titles after coming back from a game down to beat World No.6 Hania El Hammamy 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 in 74 minutes.

Gohar - who overturned a 2-0 deficit and a match ball against compatriot Nour El Tayeb to win the 2019 U.S. Open - found herself a game down and 9-4 behind after a rampant start from her opponent.

But a change in tactic from the 24-year-old saw her go on the offensive, and the momentum shifted in Gohar’s favour as she moved on to claim a seventh successive win over El Hammamy. It is Gohar’s second successive Platinum title after winning the CIB Egyptian Open in September and her 12th PSA title overall.

“I can’t really believe it, but it seems like I have to always be down in the final of the U.S. Open,” said Gohar afterwards.

“Last year I was match ball down, this year thankfully I was only 1-0 and 9-4 down. I just wanted to stick around most of the time, and I’m just glad with the way I dealt with it. I felt I was the most experienced today, so that made a huge difference.

“I’ve been in these situations before against the top players… I think what made the difference is that I just wanted to stick to my game plan and adapt a little bit. I played better, I thought about it more and that made the difference today. I think many matches, many losses, were in the back of my mind, so I just took the experience and was trying to execute it today.”

Gohar and Momen take home $19,000 in prize money for their efforts in Philadelphia this week, while Momen joins Gohar and Ali Farag in qualifying for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals, which will take place in Cairo in June, 2022.
 
Semi Finals

Asal Beats Elias at U.S. Open to Reach First Platinum Final

Egypt’s World No.10 Mostafa Asal will line up in the final of a PSA World Tour Platinum event for the first time in his career after he came through a brutal five-game thriller against Peru’s Diego Elias in the semi finals of the U.S. Open presented by Truist, which is taking place in the brand new Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia this week.

Asal has already established himself as one of the sport’s finest players after winning his first major PSA title in July’s CIB PSA World Tour Finals, and the 20-year-old will have the chance to add the U.S. Open trophy to his collection after beating World No.8 Elias by an 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 2-11, 12-10 scoreline.

It looked as if Elias would have the distinction of becoming the first Peruvian Platinum finalist after he battled back from two games down to level. Asal looked spent physically, but the Egyptian summoned whatever strength he had left to fight back from 7-2 behind and then two match balls down to seal his place in the title decider.

"This is a wonderful place to play and a wonderful court,” said Asal afterwards.

“I’m thankful I came through today and played this amazing match, it’s been a pleasure to play in front of the US crowd. I came into this tournament with a bit of an injury in my shoulder, and I’ve been trying to fix it in since San Francisco
.
“I’m going to recover now and play some FIFA to relax a little bit. I have confidence that I can win the tournament tomorrow, I did before at the World Tour Finals.”

Asal will take on World No.4 Tarek Momen in tomorrow’s final after the Egyptian defeated Welshman Joel Makin to reach his first U.S. Open final.

Makin caused one of the tournament’s biggest upsets when he overcame defending champion Ali Farag in the quarter finals, but he was unable to get the better of Momen, who battled to an 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8 victory. Both Momen and Asal will now aim to win their first Platinum titles, and Momen will look to avenge his defeat to Asal at the Oracle NetSuite Open a fortnight ago.

“He’s unreal, he never gives up, it’s one of the best qualities he has, and I don’t think anyone on tour has this quality, the way he fights despite being extremely tired and fatigued is just unreal," said Momen.

"The way he was fighting kept me going, I was thinking ‘Look at what he’s doing, look how hard he’s pushing, you need to push hard as well'. I think he just lifted me up today... I’m really proud with how I fought today, the fourth and fifth games were super tough."

The women’s title decider will see World No.6 Hania El Hammamy line up in her first U.S. Open final opposite the defending champion Nouran Gohar following respective wins against World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and USA’s Olivia Fiechter.

El Hammamy found herself a game down after a strong start from El Sherbini, who is a three-time runner-up at this tournament. However, El Hammamy stepped it up in the second game and punished El Sherbini as the match went on, eventually emerging victorious courtesy of an 8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 triumph.

“It would mean a lot [to win the U.S. Open title],” El Hammamy said.

“I’ve never reached anything in this tournament, I used to lose in the first or second round. I’m loving the new venue, it’s amazing, I’m loving the court, the atmosphere, and the crowd is amazing.”

Gohar ended US hopes at the tournament after overcoming the country’s No.3 player Olivia Fiechter 11-5, 11-2, 11-3.

Fiechter was appearing in her maiden Platinum semi-final after causing a major shock against compatriot and World No.3 Amanda Sobhy in the third round. But she was put to the sword in a dominant Gohar display, and the Egyptian will now aim to capture back-to-back U.S. Open titles.

"I have great memories of two years ago, it was amazing,” Gohar said.

“Having the crowd today, even if most of the time they were cheering against me, I love it. I love having a great crowd watching and enjoying the game. It makes me feel really happy, and I really appreciate what I’m doing on court.”

The 2021 U.S. Open finals will be held at 19:00 (GMT-4) tomorrow (October 6). All of the action will be
 SQUASHTV. Coverage from courts 14 and 15 will be shown live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

For tickets and more information on the 2021 U.S. Open, visit the tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
 
Quarter Finals

Makin and Elias Stun Top Seeds Farag and ElShorbagy at U.S. Open

Welshman Joel Makin and Peru’s Diego Elias have sent top seeds Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy out of the 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist at the quarter finals stage after two massive performances at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center earlier today.

Makin, the World No.9, had never taken more than a game in three previous defeats to World No.1 Ali Farag but put in an almost flawless performance to reach the semi finals of the U.S. Open for the first time and end Farag’s title defence.

Farag had been in red-hot form after winning both the CIB Egyptian Open and the Oracle NetSuite Open in September, but he never had a moment to settle against the 26-year-old from Pembrokeshire, with Makin completing an 11-5, 11-7, 16-14 victory to cause a big upset at the PSA World Tour Platinum event.

“I was frustrated coming into it, I’ve lost in too many quarter finals now and I’m not happy staying around there,” Makin said.

“I brought a lot of intensity into the match and I took it to him. I don’t want the match to be us saying ‘great shot’ and clapping each other’s shots, I wanted to take it to him, get across the middle and dominate the court.

“He got quite a few [decisions] wrong in crucial stages and that’s going to happen in sport. I had to deal with it as best as I could, it probably wasn’t the best squash I played after that because it was stop-start, but I was up for it, it didn’t effect me, and I was trying to get on top. There were a couple of errors but then I came back from 10-7, and I’m happy with how I did that.”

Makin will take on World No.4 Tarek Momen - the highest ranked player left in the tournament - in the semi-finals after the Egyptian ended the fairy tale run of England’s James Willstrop who, at 38 years of age, was the oldest man ever to reach the quarter finals of a major PSA event.

The other semi final will pit Elias against World No.10 Mostafa Asal following their respective wins over World No.2 ElShorbagy and World No.3 Paul Coll.

Elias was under huge pressure for the opening game and a half, but after the Peruvian fought through to take the second, ElShorbagy’s energy levels soon nose-dived. There was no let up from Elias as he powered through the third and fourth games to seal the win.

“I’m happy to win, but I think this was the worst match we’ve played together,” Elias said.

“I could see he wasn’t moving that well and I was a bit nervous at the start, I didn’t know if I should start putting pace on the ball because he’s good at that, or try to play smart. In the first game he was playing really smart, hitting the perfect shots and I got a bit frustrated.”

Asal made it three wins out of three over Coll after winning the longest match of the tournament so far at a gruelling 103 minutes. Tonight’s results mean that there will be a new name on the men’s trophy come the night of the final.

Meanwhile, the home crowd at the Specter Center will have a USA player to cheer on, on semi finals night as the country’s No.3 - Olivia Fiechter - beat Belgium’s Nele Gilis in straight games to reach her first Platinum semi final.

Fiechter stunned close friend and USA No.1 Amanda Sobhy in the previous round to reach her maiden Platinum quarter-final and, buoyed by passionate home support, put in a magnificent performance to beat Gilis 11-7, 11-6, 11-7.

“I was trying to enjoy the moment in front of my home crowd and at this new centre they’ve built for American players,” said Fiechter.

“I don’t think I could be more pleased with that performance. Throughout the day you go through moments when you’re hanging out in your hotel room and you’re trying not to think about it, but obviously you’re trying to prepare for it and get yourself ready. I was trying to take it point by point and focus on my game plan. I knew if I thought about the situation and the moment too much then things could unravel quickly.”

Fiechter will take on defending champion Nouran Gohar for a place in the title decider, with World No.2 Gohar beating England’s Sarah-Jane Perry 3-0.

“I was up for it and against SJ you have to play your best to be able to win 3-0 for sure,” said Gohar.

“[Playing a U.S. player in the semi final] is very exciting. When you have the crowd cheering for anyone, it’s great for our sport and is great for the game. I’ve had this in Egypt and I’m really excited to see it. It happened a few times with Amanda, but to have a new player with the home crowd is great for the sport and I’m very excited for tomorrow.”

World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and World No.6 Hania El Hammamy will contest the other women’s semi-final following respective wins against France’s Melissa Alves and New Zealand’s Joelle King.

The semi finals will take place tomorrow (October 5) and play will begin at 18:00 (GMT-4). All of the action will be shown live on
SQUASHTV. Coverage from courts 14 and 15 will be shown live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

For tickets and more information on the 2021 U.S. Open, visit the tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
 
Third Round

Fiechter Stuns Fellow American Sobhy to Reach U.S. Open Quarters

USA No.3 Olivia Fiechter claimed a stunning victory against the country’s No.1 player Amanda Sobhy in front of passionate home support at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center to reach the quarter finals of the U.S. Open presented by Truist.

It’s the first time in her career that Fiechter has reached the last eight of a prestigious PSA World Tour Platinum event. There was a packed house at the Specter Center as fans flocked in to watch the two Americans do battle and Sobhy - playing at a career-high No.3 ranking and boasting a 3-0 head-to-head win record over Fiechter on the PSA World Tour - was the heavy favourite coming into the clash.

However, Fiechter played some of the best squash of her career to defeat the recently-crowned Oracle NetSuite Open champion by an 11-1, 8-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 scoreline and she will take on Nele Gilis for a place in the semi finals.

“I’m trying to process it one second at a time," Fiechter said.

“Amanda and I play at least once a week, every week, especially since she moved to Philly. I knew I was getting closer in practice matches, and I’ve been feeling really good on court this week. I was feeling optimistic and thought that if I played my best squash I had a shot, but I wasn’t foreseeing it would be that close.

“She’s one of my closest friends on tour, she’s been a mentor to me since I’ve gone pro, she’s been like a big sister to me and has given me so much advice. She’s at a career-high ranking of World No.3 right now and she’s been playing well. To get a win over a top 10 player is another level you have to go to, so I’m over the moon.”

France’s Melissa Alves will be another Platinum quarter final debutant after he she got the better of England’s Georgina Kennedy with an 11-8, 11-2, 11-6 victory in 27 minutes. The World No.27 will now take on World No.1 Nour El Sherbini in the last eight, with El Sherbini beating fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin.

"She’s the best player in the world and there’s no pressure for me against her,” Alves said.

“I’m excited for a big fight again. I’m ready to play on the big stage now and am just excited. If I start strong and keep the rally and the momentum, anything can happen. Why not tomorrow?”

Reigning champion Nouran Gohar continued her title defence with a win against Alison Waters, and she will take on No.5 seed Sarah-Jane Perry next after she beat Welsh player Emily Whitlock in her second five-game battle of the event. New Zealand’s Joelle King and Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy were the other women’s winners in round three.

In the men’s event, former World No.1 James Willstrop has made history as the oldest man ever to reach a major PSA quarter-final following the 38-year-old’s stunning 3-2 victory over World No.15 Mohamed Abouelghar.

Willstrop, currently ranked at No.31 in the world, claimed a major upset against World No.5 Marwan ElShorbagy in the previous round and his ball control was impeccable once again as he set up a last eight clash with former World Champion Tarek Momen.

“It’s just great, I love playing and I try and keep myself in shape,” Willstrop said.

“I haven’t played these level of matches in three days for a long time. I can’t expect too much of myself. I just love it, this is a great tournament, I don’t know how longer I’ll be able to do this sort of stuff, so I’ll just get stuck in.”

Meanwhile, World No.3 Paul Coll and World No.10 Mostafa Asal will renew their rivalry after respective wins over Karim El Hammamy and Baptiste Masotti.

Asal has won both of their previous matches on the PSA World Tour and received both praise and criticism on social media for his exuberant celebrations, which saw him tear off his shirt both times in jubilant scenes.

“Paul is a very nice person and I have all the respect for him and what he’s achieved in the last couple of years," Asal said.

“As Mohamed ElShorbagy and Ali Farag have said, he’s a really nice guy outside of the court and inside the court. I’m sorry about my celebrations, but I was in front of my country and in front of my home and I was getting excited every time. It’s always been a pleasure to play with him because I think he’s a legend of his country and the rest of the world.”

Defending champion Ali Farag got the better of compatriot Mazen Hesham in his third round fixture and he will take on Welshman Joel Makin, who defeated France’s Sebastien Bonmalais. Three-time U.S. Open champion Mohamed ElShorbagy will take on Peru’s Diego Elias in the other men’s quarter final after they completed wins over Youssef Soliman and Raphael Kandra, respectively.

The quarter finals will take place tomorrow (October 4) and play will begin at 17:30 (GMT-4). All of the action will be shown live on
SQUASHTV. Coverage from courts 14 and 15 will be shown live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

For tickets and more information on the 2021 U.S. Open, visit the tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
 
Second Round

Willstrop Claims ElShorbagy Scalp in Round Two of U.S. Open

38-year-old Englishman James Willstrop rolled back the years as he achieved a hugely impressive 3-1 victory over World No.5 Marwan ElShorbagy at Philadelphia’s Arlen Specter Squash Center to reach the third round of the U.S. Open presented by Truist.

World No.31 Willstrop, a former World No.1, has this month dropped to his lowest World Ranking since November 2003 but proved that class is permanent as his impeccable ball control was too much for ElShorbagy to handle.

The Yorkshireman closed out a 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 victory in 47 minutes to ensure that he will take on Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I feel in shock a bit at the minute,” Willstrop said after the match.

“I haven’t been anywhere near that level really. I think experience counts for a lot, but he’s a great champion. I thought the way he played today and handled himself [was great].

“It’s not easy being on the wrong end of it. I was playing well and he just handled himself so well at the end there, really lost in a champion’s way and I admire that, he was a top man today.”

ElShorbagy wasn’t the only seeded player to bow out of the men’s event in round two as his compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad - the No.6 seed - suffered a 3-0 defeat to World No.9 Joel Makin.

Makin will take on Sebastien Bonmalais next after the World No.58 upset World No.20 Omar Mosaad to reach the third round of a PSA World Tour Platinum event for the first time in his career.

“Gawad’s obviously been in and out of form and with his body, but that doesn’t make any difference to me,” Makin said.

“He’s a class player when he’s on and is so dangerous. I knew I had to be aggressive with him and get across the middle and hit him off the ball, get on top of him and I couldn’t let him play his shots. I wanted to inject pace and be aggressive. When I did that, I got on top of him.”

Defending champion Ali Farag got his title challenge under way with a 3-0 win against India’s Saurav Ghosal, and he will play fellow Egyptian Mazen Hesham for a place in the last eight. No.2 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy was also in action as he defeated Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng to set up a third round clash with fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman.

In the women’s event, World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry completed a spectacular comeback against Egypt’s World No.33 Zeina Mickawy, recovering from a 2-0 deficit and then overturning four match balls to book her place in the last 16.

Following her 12-14, 8-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-9 victory, Perry will line up against Wales’ Emily Whitlock in the third round.

“I’m not quite sure how I won that,” Perry said afterwards.

“For patches I got in front, but I didn’t think I was actually taking advantage, I was just trying to keep pushing and pushing and [thinking] ‘come on, you can do it’. When I'd saved those match ball in the third and the fourth, I just kept saying in the fifth ‘keep going, there’s a chance after those games that she’s going to get edgy’. For a lot of the match, there was zero edginess in anything she was doing, and quite a lot in mine.”

Meanwhile, defending champion Nouran Gohar got her title challenge under way with a comfortable 3-0 win over USA’s Sabrina Sobhy and she will play England’s Alison Waters in the next round.

“Usually when you come back to a tournament it’s the same venue and you’re only defending champion for one year, not two,” said Gohar.

“In a way, I feel like it’s a different tournament. It’s good in a way as it’s a fresh start, you have good memories in the back of your mind, but you don’t take it for granted.”

Perry’s compatriot, Georgina Kennedy, will appear in the third round of a Platinum event for the first time in her career after the World No.51 stunned World No.10 Rowan Elaraby in just 25 minutes in the day’s biggest upset. USA No.1 Amanda Sobhy also appeared on day two, beating Hong Kong’s Ka Yi Lee in straight games, while World No.1 Nour El Sherbini beat Tsz-Wing Tong.

The third round begins tomorrow (October 3) at 12:00 (GMT-4). Action from Glass Court East and Glass Court West will be shown live on
SQUASHTV. Coverage from courts 14 and 15 will be shown live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

For tickets and more information on the 2021 U.S. Open, visit the tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
 
First Round

Wildcard Stefanoni Claims Upset to Reach U.S. Open Second Round

18-year-old wildcard Marina Stefanoni claimed the biggest upset on day one of the 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist, with the Stamford-based World No.71 overcoming World No.19 Danielle Letourneau as the PSA World Tour Platinum event made its debut at the brand new, state-of-the-art Arlen Specter Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Stefanoni, a sophomore at Harvard University, looked like she could be on the verge of pulling off a shock win from the outset as she dominated proceedings and she will compete in the second round of a Platinum event for the first time following her 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 triumph.

“I feel quite good after that win,” said Stefanoni, who will play Egypt’s Nada Abbas next.

“Since coming back from COVID, my game has been a bit off, but it’s been steadily improving, so I’m glad it worked out and I’m trying to hit my targets.

“I love playing on glass courts, so to have my match on the glass court today was something special, and I’m hoping I can play on more glass courts in the future. [The Specter Center] is beautiful and the courts play really nicely. I’m really glad the U.S. Open is here this year.”

USA No.3 Olivia Fiechter was the other American to win in round one after she completed a 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 victory against Egypt’s Menna Hamed. Fiechter, who returned to the top 20 following the release of the PSA World Rankings earlier today, will play Australia’s Donna Lobban in the last 32.

“It’s [the Specter Center] incredible, I think the biggest thing is having the girls and the guys here on Team USA,” Fiechter said.

“We’ve been spread across the country for so long and especially on the women’s side we have so many top players. To be able to set that bar and to play practice matches is incredible. Now [Ong] Beng Hee is here, we’ve just got a strength and conditioning coach, it’s all really coming together and it’s every professional athlete’s dream to have a facility like this.”

Elsewhere, England’s Georgina Kennedy progressed to round two of a Platinum event for the first time as she beat the higher-ranked Haley Mendez, while Stefanoni’s younger sister, Lucie, bowed out at the hands of Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam.

In the men’s event, the top two ranked USA players - Shahjahan Khan and Todd Harrity - saw their tournaments come to an end at the hands of Mexico’s Cesar Salazar and Germany’s Raphael Kandra, respectively.

Salazar got the better of Khan by an 11-3, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5 margin and he will take on Egypt’s Youssef Soliman in the next round after Soliman beat India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar.

“Today, I’m happy with my performance because Shahjahan is improving a lot,” Salazar said.

“He’s doing a good job in tournaments. I’m happy with the victory. This is a fantastic place to play squash and is great motivation for players who want to come and play here.”

Meanwhile, Harrity came close to causing an upset against Kandra as the World No.44 took the German to a fifth game. Kandra moved through the gears though to wrap up an 4-11, 11-3, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4 victory.

The World No.22 will take on India’s Vikram Malhotra for a place in the third round.

“I came here quite prepared and I knew what to expect playing a local player.

“He had a good start and I didn’t feel like I got into it at all, so I just let it go at the end because I was too far away. I started to focus on the second game and I got into a flow. He broke through in the fourth game and then it was more of a mental game at the end of the day. I had a little bit more mentally and physically, and I think that made the difference today.”

The other two American men in action on day one - wildcards Faraz Khan and Timothy Brownell - also saw their events come to an end following respective defeats to Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller and France’s Victor Crouin.

The second round begins tomorrow when defending champions Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar join the fray. Play gets under way at 12:00 (GMT-4) and action from Glass Court East and Glass Court West will be shown live on SQUASHTV. Coverage from courts 14 and 15 will be shown live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

For tickets and more information on the 2021 U.S. Open, visit the tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
 

Preview

U.S. Open to Make Specter Center Debut in October

The 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist will be staged in the new state-of-the-art Arlen Specter US Squash Center for the first time between October 1-6 when the world’s best players do battle in Philadelphia.

Housing 20 squash courts - including two showpiece glass courts as well as high-performance training facilities - the Specter Center is the new headquarters for US Squash, and the U.S. Open will be the first major squash tournament to take place in the new complex, which will celebrate its Grand Opening on October 2.

The U.S. Open returns to the PSA World Tour for the first time since 2019 after a COVID-19 enforced absence from the tour last year and defending champions Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar will line up in Philadelphia next month.

Farag is the top seed in the men’s draw and will take on India’s Saurav Ghosal in round two ahead of prospective matches against Frenchman Gregoire Marche and former World Champions Karim Abdel Gawad and Tarek Momen.

He is seeded to meet three-time U.S. Open champion Mohamed ElShorbagy in the title decider. ElShorbagy will line up against Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in the last 32 and is seeded to face compatriot Youssef Soliman, Peruvian Diego Elias and Allam British Open champion Paul Coll en route to the final.

Meanwhile, Gohar will go up against Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby in the second round of the women’s event before a predicted third round clash with Yathreb Adel. England’s Sarah-Jane Perry is set to meet Gohar in the quarter-finals before a semi-final clash against No.3 seed Camille Serme.

World No.1 Nour El Sherbini - who is the reigning PSA World Champion and Allam British Open champion - will play either England’s Julianne Courtice or Hong Kong’s Tsz-Wing Tong in round two. From there, the Egyptian is predicted to face USA No.2 Olivia Clyne, USA No.1 Amanda Sobhy and Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy on her path to the title decider as she bids to win her first U.S. Open trophy.

There will be 11 U.S. players in the draw across the men’s and women’s events, a record amount for the U.S. Open. The wildcard spots in the women’s draw are taken up by the Stefanoni sisters, Marina and Lucie, who will play Canada’s Danielle Letourneau and Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, respectively.

Faraz Khan and Timothy Brownell are the men’s wildcards and they will compete with Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller and France’s Victor Crouin. $250,000 in total player prize compensation will be up for grabs as will a qualification spot for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals. The winners will earn their spot at the showpiece event in Cairo next year.

The prize money will be split equally across the men’s and women’s events and all of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown live on the channels of contracted broadcast partners.

For tickets and more information on the 2021 U.S. Open, visit the tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

 

 News

 

 History

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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
 01 OCT
Round 2
 02 OCT
Round 3
 03
OCT
Quarters
 04 OCT
Semis
 05 OCT
Final
 06 OCT
 

 Info