Julieanne Harris, the Director of Squash at Philadelphia Cricket Club, will be awarded the Achievement Bowl during Women in Sports Day at the FS Investments U.S. Open on Wednesday October 10 at Drexel University. The fifth-annual WISD features a panel discussion at 4pm; a cocktail reception at 5pm with remarks and award presentations; and then that evening’s quarterfinal matches.
Australian born Harris, took up squash at age twenty-three. She moved to the U.S. in 1983 with her husband Bill Lane and worked at Western Athletic Clubs in San Francisco and Santa Clara before moving to the Philadelphia area in 1988. She started the squash team at Agnes Irwin School and was the assistant women’s team coach at Penn before coming to Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1992. Since then, she has led one of the country’s most successful junior programs. Nine of her Philly Cricket players have made Team USA’s national junior team and many more have been national champions in singles and doubles. She has also twice coached the U.S. junior women’s team at the World Junior Championships, in Norway in 1991 and Malaysia in 1993.
Harris is an extraordinarily accomplished player. She won the open softball division at the National Singles in 1984 and 1986, as well as the Canadian national open title in 1984 and 1985. She played for the U.S. at the world championships in 1985 and 1989. In doubles, Harris has won the U.S. open title three times, in 1991 and 1992 (partnering with last year’s Achievement Bowl honoree Gail Ramsay) and in 1995 with Joyce Davenport. She has also captured seven Canadian national open doubles titles in women’s and mixed doubles and four U.S. age group titles in women’s and mixed doubles.
The Achievement Bowl is US Squash’s oldest award. Since 1955 it has been given out annually to a woman who has made notable and profound contributions to the advancement of squash.
Join US Squash to celebrate Women in Sports Day, Wednesday October 10 at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships. The fifth-anniversary edition of the event promises to be the best yet, honoring those leaders who drive growth of both women’s squash and nurture opportunities for girls and women in sport.
The day will commence at 4:00pm with a panel discussion featuring Olivia Blatchford-Clyne, Katline Cauwels, Nyree Dardarian, Caroline Glain, and Dr. Betsy Pulick discussing maintaining bodily health over the course of lifetime engagement in the sport, from junior squash to masters play.
Beginning at 5:00pm, the Women in Sports Day reception will commence adjacent to the ASB Glasscourt. The reception will feature a speaking program including words from supporting sponsors FS Investments and Comcast, a presentation of the Women in Sports Day Special Recognition Award to Alexandra Frazier for her efforts supporting girls golf in the Philadelphia region, and the presentation of Julieanne Harris—long-time teaching professional at the Philadelphia Cricket Club—with the US Squash Achievement Bowl, the organization’s oldest award given to those who have made notable and profound contributions to the advancement of women’s squash. During the evening matches, Team USA member Olivia Blatchford will be presented with the USOC’s Athlete of the Year award for squash.
Local students from the SquashSmarts squash and education program will take the court at Drexel’s Kline & Specter Squash Center for a clinic with U.S. Open players before joining the festivities at the reception.
U.S. Open quarterfinals will begin at 6:00pm, with what promises to be an exciting slate of four matches as players strive towards the prestigious championship title.
Learn more and buy your tickets today for the U.S. Open Women in Sports Day at www.usopensquash.com/tickets. A portion of proceeds go towards the US Squash Women’s Fund which supports the development of women’s squash nationwide.
The 2018 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships kicks off in a little over two weeks, October 6-13 at Drexel University. Secure your tickets now to reserve your place as the squash community descends on Philadelphia to witness the world’s best players compete for the prestigious U.S. Open title, while special events and amateur tournaments held alongside provide numerous meaningful experiences for players, fans, and families.
New for the 2018 U.S. Open are ‘grounds pass’ tickets for the opening weekend—October 6-7. For the first time, four courts of simultaneous matches will be held at Drexel University on both days—one on the ASB Glasscourt and three at Drexel’s Kline & Specter Squash Center, both at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Grounds passes are available for as low as $10, and get fans access to all three Kline & Specter courts for a full day of matches, with upgrades available for the ASB Glasscourt matches.
The week continues with nights celebrating the contributions of Philadelphia squash and education program SquashSmarts, Women in Sports Day and Character in Sports Day honoring those who uphold squash’s values of inclusiveness and integrity, an evening celebrating the newly announced Arlen Specter US Squash Center, and dramatic closing days of match play at the semifinals and finals as the U.S. Open crowns its newest champions.
Abby Markoe will be awarded the Feron’s Wedgwood Sportsmanship Trophy at the 2018 FS Investments U.S. Open. The ceremony will be on Tuesday October 9 as a part of Character in Sports Day.
Markoe (pictured above, center) is the executive director of SquashWise, the urban squash program in Baltimore.
A lifelong player, Markoe captained the team at George Washington University during their inaugural year as a varsity program in 2002-03. She now is an avid league player in Maryland and each fall plays in the Howe Cup, the national women’s team tournament. For a half dozen years she has directed the Lacy Cup, the annual women’s match between Baltimore and Washington and more recently has led Baltimore’s Howe Cup team. She also annually organizes a Women’s Squash Night at Meadow Mill as a part of US Squash’s global initiative Women’s Squash Week. Last year, in response to low squash participation among girls, Markoe launched the Girls Excellence Initiative. This project works to inspire girls to commit more deeply to their athletic development through mentoring events, team-building activities and squash tournament opportunities.
While pursuing a PhD at Johns Hopkins in the history of medicine, Markoe starting playing squash at Meadow Mill Athletic Club. In 2008 she left her doctoral program to launch SquashWise, now one of the most successful urban programs in the country. Based at Meadow Mill, it has a 100% high school graduation rate and 80% college matriculation rate in a city where fewer than 70% of students graduate from high school and only 42% go to college. Its has five full-time staff and its annual budget has grown from $150,000 to $800,000. On October 18 SquashWise is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
The Feron’s Wedgwood Sportsmanship Trophy is US Squash’s oldest sportsmanship award. Since 1979, it has honored women who exemplify fair play, respect, courtesy and fellowship with opponents. Previous winners include U.S. Squash Hall of Famers Goldie Edwards (1980), Carol Weymuller (1988) and Demer Holleran (1989). Last year’s recipient was Hope Prockop.
(l-r): Lach McIntosh, Jud Hand, Liz Hand, Ian McIntosh
The McIntosh/Hand family will receive the Philadelphia Squash Racquets Association’s Service Award at the 2018 FS Investments U.S. Open on Saturday, October 6. The ceremony will be on the ASB GlassCourt following the 5:30pm match.
Since the mid-1970s, McIntosh/Hand family have been stalwarts at Gwynedd Racquet Club in North Wales, Pa. They have held just about every leadership role at the club at one point or another. Gwynedd Racquet Club is a unique member of the Philadelphia squash scene. Housed in a converted Methodist Church, the key club has two singles and one doubles court. Its nickname is the Church of the Holy Racquet.
The McIntosh/Hand family has had success on court. Lach, partnered with Tina Rix, won consecutive Manheim Mixed doubles tournaments. Ian, partnered with Peter Lutes, won the National C doubles tournament in 2006. Together Lach and Ian led their team to the Czar League title in 2016.
“The PSRA is proud to recognize and honor Jud, Liz, Ian and Lach as the recipients of the 2018 PSRA Service Award,” said Tim Dearnley, the president of the PSRA. “They kept a unique squash presence in greater Philadelphia alive. All league players know that a trip out to North Wales is going to make for good squash and great camaraderie.”
The world’s oldest squash organization, the Philadelphia SRA—originally called the Philadelphia Association—was founded in 1903. Previous winners of the annual PSRA Service Award include Molly Pierce (2013), Ken Jaffe (2014), Frank Reidy (2015), Bill Lane (2016) and Andy Nehrbas (2017).
World No. 1’s Mohamed ElShorbagy (l) and Nour El Sherbini
The 2018 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships draws have been released as Egypt’s world No. 1’s Nour El Sherbini and Mohamed ElShorbagy lead the field as top seeds, October 6-13, at Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.
The 2018 draws mark the first year of the U.S. Open employing forty-eight-player main draws with no qualifying rounds as a result of the PSA Tour’s new structure for the 2018-2019 season.
The draws reveal an arduous path to a successful title defense for Egypt’s 2017 champions Nour El Tayeb and Ali Farag. El Tayeb, the women’s three seed, slots into the top half of the draw and could face Team USA’s Amanda Sobhy in the round of sixteen, 2016 champion Camille Serme in the quarterfinals and teammate El Sherbini in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Farag, the men’s two seed, is set to open his tournament with a second round match against New Zealand’s world No. 10 Paul Coll–the second straight year Coll will face the two seed in an early round match. Last year, Coll toppled Egypt’s then two seed Karim Abdel Gawad in first round. Should Farag progress, the Harvard graduate could face three-time champion Gregory Gaultier in the quarterfinals and world No. 3 Marwan ElShorbagy in the semis.
The elder ElShorbagy, Mohamed, is seeded to face off with world No. 4 Tarek Momen in what would be an all Egyptian semifinal in the top half of the draw. ElShorbagy, who captured his first world championship title last season, is searching for a third U.S. Open title after losing in a U.S. Open final for the first time last year against Farag.
Raneem El Welily, the women’s two seed and world No. 2, will hope for another chance to capture her first U.S. Open title after falling short in the finals last year and in 2012. El Welily, who also captured her maiden world championship title alongside ElShorbagy last season, is seeded to face New Zealand’s world No. 4 Joelle King in what would be a rematch of the 2017 semifinals.
Seven out of eight Americans are set for first-round action. In the men’s draw, Todd Harrity will take on Australian veteran Cameron Pilley in what will be their first career match up Saturday, October 6, at 6:30pm on the ASB GlassCourt. Harrity, world No. 50, is joined by wild cards Chris Gordon and Andrew Douglas.
Gordon, world No. 67, is set for his seventh consecutive U.S. Open wild card appearance and will take on England’s world No. 23 Declan James Saturday, October 6, at 2:30pm on Drexel’s Kline & Specter Court 1. Later that afternoon Douglas, a Penn sophomore, will make his U.S. Open main draw debut against France’s former world No. 6 Mathieu Castagnet at 4:45pm on the ASB GlassCourt.
On the women’s side, world No. 14 Olivia Blatchford is the sole American to enjoy a first-round bye as the twenty-five-year-old awaits either Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling or England’s Emily Whitlock on the ASB GlassCourt Sunday, October 7, at 4pm.
After missing the 2017 U.S. Open due to injury, Amanda Sobhy returns to Philadelphia in hopes of replicating her 2016 semifinal run. The world No. 18 opens her campaign against Hong Kong’s Tong Tsz-Wing Saturday, October 6, at 5:45pm on the ASB GlassCourt.
World No. 43 Haley Mendez qualifies for her first main draw based on ranking after her 2017 wild card appearance, and will play Egypt’s Nadine Shahin in one of the first matches on Drexel’s Court 1 Saturday, October 6, at 1:45pm.
Penn’s 2018 Intercollegiate national champion Reeham Sedky will hope to make waves on the professional level in her ASB GlassCourt debut against Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy Saturday, October 6, at 4pm. Recent Princeton graduate Olivia Fiechter marks her wild card debut against Australia’s Donna Lobban Saturday, October 6, at 5:45pm on Drexel’s Court 1.
Do you think you have what it takes to be a commentator on SquashTV for a professional squash match? Now is your chance to show off your skills!
Enter the SquashTV commentary competition for a chance to join Joey Barrington in the booth during the first-round of the FS Investments U.S. Open, Saturday October 6. Winners will be selected to commentate the Amanda Sobhy vs. Tong Tsz Wing match and Todd Harrity vs. Cameron Pilley.
2017 U.S. Open champion Ali Farag (l) and Nour El Sherbini return to defend their titles in 2018.
The player entry list for the 2018 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships has been released, as the world’s top squash professionals are confirmed to return to Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, October 6-13, in Philadelphia.
Tickets for all rounds—including group and patron packages—are available on usopensquash.com/tickets.
The 2018 U.S. Open, a PSA World Tour Platinum tournament, features forty-eight-player main draws for the first time in tournament history, as the PSA World Tour prepares for a new look in the 2018-2019 season.
For the sixth year in a row, the U.S. Open will offer prize money parity for men and women with $169,000 on offer for both draws.
After making history last year by becoming the first married couple to win a major individual title on the same day, Egypt’s Ali Farag and Nour El Tayeb return to Philly as the two seed and three seed, respectively.
For the second year in a row, Egypt’s world No. 1’s Mohamed ElShorbagy–a two-time U.S. Open champion–and Nour El Sherbini enter the tournament as the top seeds.
Seven past champions will vie for another title, including ElShorbagy, three-time champion Gregory Gaultier, three-time champion Nicol David, two-time champion Laura Massaro, Camille Serme and defending champions Farag and El Tayeb.
The U.S. Open field features nine of the world’s top-ten-ranked men, and all ten of the world’s top-ten-ranked women.
Four Americans have qualified for the main draw based on ranking, including world No. 49 Todd Harrity in the men’s draw, and world No. 13 Olivia Blatchford, world No. 18 Amanda Sobhy–a 2016 semifinalist–and world No. 43 Haley Mendez in the women’s draw.
World No. 66 Chris Gordon will occupy a men’s wild card position for the seventh consecutive U.S. Open, while Penn sophomore Andrew Douglas will make his main draw debut in the second men’s wild card position.
Penn’s rising senior and collegiate individual champion Reeham Sedky is set to make her fourth U.S. Open appearance, and first in the main draw as one of two women’s wild cards. Recent Princeton graduate Olivia Fiechter joins Sedky as the second wild card in what will be her U.S. Open main draw debut.
The U.S. Open brings the entire squash community together with special events such as the inaugural Drexel Day, Women in Sports Day, Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Character in Sports Day, and co-hosted tournaments such as the U.S. Skill Level Championships, Intercollegiate Doubles and Arlen Specter JCT. View the full tournament schedule here.
Philadelphia, PA—August 8, 2018—US Squash and Study Hotels announces that they will renew their partnership for the 2018-2019 season, including the official sponsorship of the FS Investments 2018 U.S. Open Squash Championships in Philadelphia.
“We are really pleased to partner with Study Hotels again in 2018,” said US Squash President & CEO Kevin Klipstein. “The Study’s central location, great atmosphere and outstanding amenities provide an ideal experience for squash fans attending the U.S. Open and events we host throughout the season both in Philadelphia and New Haven.”
The Study at University City Hotel in Philadelphia will be hosting guests attending the 2018 U.S. Open, Arlen Specter Pennsylvania Junior Championships, U.S. Skill Level Championships and Intercollegiate Squash Doubles Championships from October 6-13. The Philadelphia location of Study Hotels is located at the intersection of 33rd Street and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia—at the crossroads of University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University and only one block from the U.S. Open’s location in Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.
“The excitement was felt throughout both The Study at Yale and The Study at University City last season. We are proud to be sponsoring U.S. Squash another season, continuing our long-standing history of hosting families and athletes for its opening at Yale in 2009,” said Paul McGowan, President and Founder of Study Hotels.
In support of the U.S. Open, Arlen Specter Pennsylvania Junior Championships, U.S. Skill Level Championships and Intercollegiate Squash Doubles Championships, The Study at University City Hotel will offer 10% off the Best Available Rate with the code “US Squash” to consumers who call and book directly through the hotel at 215-387-1400.
About The Study at University City
The Study at University City is located at the intersection of 33rd Street, Chestnut Street and Woodland Walk in West Philadelphia – at the crossroads of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. The Hotel encompasses 212 well-appointed guest rooms, suites and “Study” signature guestroom accommodations. The second floor of the hotel consists of event and light-filled social catering spaces including an impressive banquet salon. Also offered at The Study at University City, is CO-OP Restaurant & Lounge, positioned at the bustling corner of 33rd and Chestnut streets in the heart of University City. CO-OP is a fun, energetic neighborhood restaurant featuring great food and spirited hospitality in an open, light-filled space.
About Study Hotels
Study Hotels is a brand conceived to accommodate the needs of university markets by offering high-quality, full-service lodging. Study Hotels is discreet in its use of branded collateral in order to allow a unique personality to emerge at each location – enriched by the character of the university.
Intellectual, thoughtful, stylish, restful, yet not too serious – Study Hotels offers an authentic, thoughtful campus-oriented experience for families, alumni, groups and visiting dignitaries.
The 2018 U.S. Skill Level Championships will be held alongside the U.S. Open finals weekend, October 13-14 in Philadelphia. Skill level divisions are available for players of all abilities, and the tournament is a great opportunity to test your game against players from around the country while joining the squash community as it comes together for the U.S. Open.
The host venue—the Kline & Specter Squash Courts at Drexel University—is in the heart of Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood just blocks away from 30th Street Station and near numerous restaurants, museums and hotels including official US Squash partner hotel The Study University City.
Players who placed first or second in any given skill level in a Regional Adult Championships tournament gain free entry to the tournament. All players receive a special 50% off discount code to the U.S. Open semifinals and finals rounds.
All Saturday, October 13, matches at the tournament will be completed in time for players to enjoy the U.S. Open finals beginning that evening on the glass court.
All draws will be capped at sixteen players and are filling up already—register today at the U.S. Skill Level Championships tournament page to book your spot for a unique tournament experience.
