The College Squash Association celebrated 100 years of college squash at the U.S. Open presented by Truist Sunday, October 8.
Sunday’s recognition officially kicked off the CSA’s centennial celebration, which is now expanding to a full year’s worth of activities paying tribute to 100 years of intercollegiate team squash. The CSA will announce more details on upcoming events and how to support the CSA@100 initiative over the coming weeks.
CSA Board Chair Margaret Gerety spoke of the importance of growing the college game and the Association’s goal to reach 40 varsity men’s and women’s programs by 2030. The CSA currently has twenty-four women’s varsity programs and thirty-six men’s varsity programs.
Gerety also offered a reflection on the recent passing of storied Yale coach Dave Talbott and his wife, Ann, who Gerety said ’embodied everything that’s great about college squash.’
Twenty of the ninety-six players competing in the U.S. Open were current or former college squash players including world No. 1 Ali Farag, world No. 5 Amanda Sobhy and world No. 8 Victor Crouin. A number of the professional players joined the CSA Board members, coaches and other former players present on court during the recognition.
Just before the Sunday evening matches on the Roberts Family Court, twenty-two 2022-2023 US Squash Scholar Athlete Award recipients were recognized at the Specter Center. Many of the scholar athletes on hand were in Philadelphia putting their best effort in on the squash courts at Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania in the Arlen Specter Pennsylvania Junior Championships (JCT).
The US Squash Scholar Athlete program recognizes the hard work and commitment necessary for student athletes to maintain excellence both on the court and in the classroom. Students who earn Scholar Athlete recognition demonstrate dedication to academics, achieving a 3.5 GPA or higher, while maintaining an active squash schedule. This award celebrates those who embody the values that are central to being a student-athlete.
World No. 50 Timothy Brownell has become the first man from the United States to reach the third round of the U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist in thirty-seven years after he overcame teammate Shahjahan Khan Sunday afternoon, October 8, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
The U.S. Open is celebrating its fiftieth staging and has only been held as a softball tournament since 1985. The following year saw two home players make the quarterfinals– since when no man from the U.S. has been able to make it beyond the second round until Sunday when Brownell completed a 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 18-16 marathon victory against Khan after eighty-four minutes. The two teammates put on a show for the gallery packed with aspiring U.S. juniors competing in the Arlen Specter JCT over the weekend and displayed the depth of current and future U.S. talent.
“He did not give up, I really thought I could pull away but he changed the game plan and really turned the jets on,” Brownell said. I really couldn’t put the ball away at the end, he was willing to leave it all out there. He was tidy, wasn’t making any errors and I’m just really happy to go through.”
Brownell will face three-time U.S. Open champion Mohamed ElShorbagy Monday evening after world No. 3 overcame compatriot Mohamed ElSherbini in a close four-game encounter.
“I’m over the moon,” Brownell said. “I was just trying to have a smile on my face. It’s really easy to tighten up, feel the moment and see the finish line, but I looked at my mum and she was like: how cool is this? I loosened up and hit a winner that I definitely wouldn’t have hit if I was feeling a bit tense. I’ve got a lot of friends and family here and it’s really cool for them to see that. Mohamed is nothing but professional, he’s come up to me behind the scenes a few times and given me some tips here and there when he had no reason to. I’ve got nothing but respect for him, I’ve watched him since I was a little kid so it’s a dream to play him on a glass court in the U.S. Open.”
Brownell’s Pan Am Games teammates Amanda Sobhy, the world No. 5 and Olivia Fiechter, the world No. 9, will join him the third round after opening their U.S. Open campaigns with composed 3-0 victories.
Olivia Fiechter
Fiechter, a Philadelphia native, dispatched England’s Jasmine Hutton 11-1, 11-3, 11-5 in twenty-five minutes. The Germantown Friends and Princeton graduate full face Egypt’s world No. 11 in the third round Tuesday evening.
Sobhy, the tournament’s five seed, defeated U.S. teammate and world No. 13 Olivia Blatchford Clyne 11-4, 11-9, 11-3 in thirty-one minutes.
“We’ve been playing each other since we were eleven so we know our games inside out and I want to go in there and preparing for the next match and focusing on the feel of the court and finding my targets,” Sobhy said. “I’m happy to get the win today. I’ve built up a good friend group here and my family is here. Apart from Nationals they get to see me live so even though I live in Florida I’m so pumped to see them and they’re all super stoked to see me play.”
Sobhy will feature again on Monday evening against Egypt’s world No. 42 Zeina Mickawy.
Elsewhere in the draws, the evergreen Colombian veteran Miguel Angel Rodriguez upset seven seed Victor Cruoin in the only seeded upset of the second round.
Before the world’s top squash players took to the courts at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center on Saturday, October 7, the Philadelphia squash community got the U.S. Open action started with a morning of squash, games and activities.
The second annual Community Day celebrated community partners and Specter Center Community Heroes, and invited U.S. Open ticket holders and local groups to join the fun. Groups from First State Squash, SquashSmarts, the SEA HPP program, Cynwyd Club, Conestoga High School, Drexel students, Arlen Specter JCT players and Specter Center junior players took part in the festivities. Team USA’s world No. 13 Olivia Blatchford Clyne was a special guest and spent time with the junior players.
The Specter Center is grateful for the support of its Community Heroes including Drexel University, Truist, Penn Medicine, Comcast Business, the Racquet Club of Philadelphia, MyPhillyLawyer and The 1854 Foundation.
Free lunch was provided by 12th Street Catering–the official catering partner of the Specter Center.
“The U.S. Open is more than just one of the most important professional squash events in the world, it’s also a celebration of the U.S. squash community. Community Day is our opportunity to highlight that and recognize those promoting and supporting community squash,” said Sakora Miller, Specter Center Director of Squash Programming. “Thank you to all of our Specter Center Community Heroes and programming partners for making this special morning possible.”
Team USA’s Marina Stefanoni, Timmy Brownell and Shahjahan Khan upset higher-ranked opposition to advance to the second round of the U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist Saturday, October 7, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
The opening day staged thirty-two first round matches on four courts–two side courts and both glass courts–at the Specter Center. Seven of the day’s matches proved to upset the seedings, three of which came by the hand of Americans. The U.S. results were backed by the support of the home crowd composed JCT players, Community Day attendees and partners, school teams, SEA programs, squash enthusiasts and first-time fans alike.
Twenty-year-old world No. 56 Marina Stefanoni recorded her second career U.S. Open first round win with a commanding 3-0 victory over Egypt’s world No. 35 Mariam Metwally during the afternoon session.
“I wasn’t expecting anything, I don’t get to play many of the Platinum events, so I’ve been excited to play this,” Stefanoni said. “I absolutely love that court as well. She put up a good fight towards the end, it was an unfortunate end on a no let call, but I’m very happy to win in three and save the body a bit.”
The Harvard senior’s reward is a second round encounter against the 2017 U.S. Open champion and four seed Nour El Tayeb Sunday at 6pm ET.
“It’s our U.S. national center and I’ve had some good wins here. The court plays nicely and I always feel good on there,” Stefanoni said. “I don’t get that very often [fans waiting for autographs after the match]. The little kids are cute and I hope that they are inspired to play more and keep enjoying it. It’s nice that I can help out and make them smile.”
Sunday will feature two all-American match ups–one being a marquee women’s match between world No. 5 Amanda Sobhy and world No. 13 Olivia Blatchford Clyne–and the other being the first all-American men’s second round match up in tournament history between Brownell and Khan.
Brownell and Khan’s results came simultaneously during the evening sessions on both glass courts.
After falling short against a top thirty player last year, Brownell went one better and came back from 2-0 down to defeat Switzerland’s world No. 28 Dimitri Steinmann in five games on the Lenfest Court. The match ended in unfortunate circumstances as the Swiss international was handed a conduct point and game in the fifth due to poor conduct and intentional physical contact.
“It seemed like he was getting a bit frustrated at the end there,” said Brownell afterwards. “We’ve all been there but he took it a step too far. You can’t put another player’s career at risk, he could easily have taken me out for the season. I’m happy that neither of us are hurt, I wish him the best and hopefully he can get his emotions in check. I gassed him out and I thought I was going to take the match anyway. I’m really proud with the work my team and I have done, he’s one of the strongest players on tour and I think I was fitter than he was, so I was really proud of myself.
“It feels amazing to win here at home. I came up short last year against Iker Pajares so I was getting deja vu. It’s really nice to come through and play a teammate who won a marathon match. Congratulations to Shahjahan and whoever goes through to round three deserves it.”
Meanwhile on the Roberts Court, world No. 45 Khan recorded his first career U.S. Open win against Egypt’s world No. 40 Karim El Hammamy in four games.
“It was really nerve-racking,” Khan said afterwards. “I’ve played Karim [El Hammamy] so many times on the PSA World Tour and the last time was four games and this one was tougher because we’ve played each so many times, but I came out on top of it and I played the important points really well, which was really key for me. My game plan was to keep him there and keep him in the rally and hopefully force some mistakes. I think the game plan worked well for me. It’s my first round two match of the US Open, I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to enjoy the moment tomorrow give it my best shot.”
U.S. Champion Andrew Douglas and finalist Spencer Lovejoy both pushed their respective opponents, Cesar Salazar and Aly Abour Eleinen, but fell short in four and five close games.
Sunday will see the top seeds join the field with thirty-two matches set to take place across four courts from 12pm noon.
Starting in 2017, a friend of the game has officially started the tournament with the first ball hit on court. In recognition of Community Day, the 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist were launched when H. Chase Lenfest took the ceremonial first swing.
Lenfest has been a dynamic and generous leader in creating better opportunities for the Philadelphia community through the sport of squash. The Lenfest Center in North Philadelphia is home to SquashSmarts who for more than 20 years has been providing deep academic, athletic and life skills support fulfilling their mission to give Philadelphia public school children their best shot. Chase has expanded his vision by founding North 10 dedicated to improving life outcomes for the residents of Hunting Park and East Tioga in in North Philadelphia.
He is a lifelong squash player starting at the age of 10 and is a top competitive player today. With his appreciation for competitive excellence, Chase has been a key supporter of Team USA and their aspirations of becoming the best in the world.
Shortly after hitting the tournament’s opening rally with reigning U.S. Champion Andrew Douglas, the Arlen Specter US Squash Center unveiled the H. Chase Lenfest Stables: The Home of Team USA Squash.
The stage is set for the 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist as the world’s best squash players descend on the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia, October 7-14.
2023 marks the tournament’s fiftieth edition since the inaugural U.S. Open in 1954, and tenth offering prize money parity across the men’s and women’s PSA Platinum draws.
The opening weekend of matches will see the first two rounds contested on four courts simultaneously at the Specter Center including both glass courts and courts 7 and 15 with match play starting at 12pm ET both days. View Saturday’s full lineup of matches on usopensquash.com/daily.
Eight Americans are involved in first round action and will hope to harness the home crowd’s support.
U.S. Champion Andrew Douglas will take on Mexico’s world No. 41 Cesar Salazar in the opening match on the Lenfest Glass court at 12:30pm ET. Columbia graduate Ramit Tandon and world No. 49 Faraz Khan will play on the Roberts Glass Court at 12:45. Marina Stefanoni will follow on the Roberts Court against Egypt’s Mariam Metwally at 1:30. Wild Cards Lucie Stefanoni and Zane Patel will close out the afternoon sessions against Hana Moataz and Greg Lobban, respectively.
Shahjahan Khan will aim for his first U.S. Open victory against Egypt’s Karim El Hammamy on the Lenfest Court at 5pm. Wild Card and former Yale No. 1 Spencer Lovejoy will take on former Penn star Aly Abou Eleinen on the Roberts Court at 5:15. Todd Harrity and England’s world No. 29 Adrian Waller will play on the Lenfest court at 6:30. World No. 50 Timmy Brownell will close out the Roberts Court against Switzerland’s world No. 28 Dimitri Steinmann at 6:45.
World No. 2 and defending champion Nouran Gohar has withdrawn from the U.S. Open presented by Truist due to a foot injury–causing significant shifts to the women’s draw as a result.
Compatriot Hania El Hammamy will take the place of Gohar as the no. 2 seed in the third Platinum event of the season and will now face one of Salma Eltayeb or Hana Ramadan in round two.
New Zealand’s Joelle King now moves up to the No.3 seed position, with a second-round clash against either Wales’ Emily Whitlock or France’s Enora Villard awaiting the World No. 4, while South Western Open winner Nour El Tayeb climbs up to a top four seeding position.
Team USA’s Olivia Fiechter is now a top-eight seed and is due to play one of World No. 27 Jasmine Hutton or Canada’s Nicole Bunyan in round two. Meanwhile, Canada’s Hollie Naughton has moved from a 17/32 seed to a 9/16 seed, now receiving a bye in round one of the tournament.
England’s Millie Tomlinson will enter the draw as a result of Gohar’s withdrawal, playing Egypt’s Jana Shiha in the first round of the Platinum event.
Draws and match times are now available on usopensquash.com/draws. Get your tickets today on usopensquash.com/tickets to watch the world’s best squash players vie for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.
Madison Ho (l) and Zane Patel at the 2023 World Junior Championships
The 2023 U.S. Open Championships presented by Truist will showcase two of members of the Team USA’s World Junior Championships squad–Zane Patel and Madison Ho–who will make their PSA Platinum debuts as wild cards at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center Saturday, October 7, in Philadelphia.
This summer, Patel and Ho went up against the world’s top junior players in Melbourne, Australia. Ho played a vital role on the U.S. Junior Women’s Team who returned to the World Junior Women’s Team Championship podium for the first time since 2015 with a third place finish. Patel recorded five individual wins–including winning the 25th place playoff draw and will be eligible to play in the 2024 World Juniors set to take place in Houston next summer.
Both players will now aim to use their experience of playing the world’s top juniors as they face the world’s top professionals at the U.S. Open.
Ho, who is entering her freshman year at Stanford, will face Canada’s world No. 19 Hollie Naughton on the Lenfest Glass Court at 4:30pm ET.
“World Juniors was an amazing opportunity to compete internationally and play against a variety of different styles,” Ho said. “It was also a great sneak peak into competing at the PSA level given that many players are also on the professional tour. I can’t wait to experience what it’s like to compete at a high level on the pro tour. I’m also excited to be back in Philly playing at Specter Center, which feels like a second home by now!”
Patel, who is entering his senior year of high school in Palo Alto, California, will play Scotland’s world No. 21 Greg Lobban on the Lenfest Glass Court at 2:15pm ET.
“Playing at Worlds, you get to see and compete against the highest level junior squash in the world,” Patel said. “While the PSA is literally an entirely different ballgame, my experiences from Worlds definitely gives me some idea of what playing with the highest caliber players is like. I’m most looking forward to being able to play against the pros that I’ve watched and learned from for so long. Just being in the same draw as these players is a massive privilege and I am very excited to have this opportunity.”
The other two wild card spots feature familiar faces in Spencer Lovejoy and Lucie Stefanoni, who both return for their second straight U.S. Open wild card appearances.
Lovejoy produced a breakthrough performance at the Specter Center in April when he reached the finals of the S.L. Green U.S. Men’s Championship final. The world No. 68 and Yale graduate will go up against former Penn No. 1 Aly Abou Eleinen in the first round on the Lenfest court at 5:15pm.
Lucie Stefanoni joins her older sister, Marina, in the draw and will aim to emulate her 2022 first round performance when she pushed world No. 28 Nadine Shahin to five games.
The path to the 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships titles presented by Truist is now clear with the release of the draws, October 7-14, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
Draws and match times are now available on usopensquash.com/draws. Get your tickets today on usopensquash.com/tickets to watch the world’s best squash players vie for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.
Defending champions Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias open their title defenses on opposite sides of the draw as the one and two seeds, respectively.
Gohar will aim to make U.S. Open history by becoming the first four-time women’s champion, but will need to make it through the top half of the draw that includes world No. 4 Joelle King and all four top-twenty-ranked American women: world No. 5 Amanda Sobhy, world No. 9 Olivia Fiechter, world No. 14 Olivia Blatchford Clyne and world No. 16 Sabrina Sobhy.
Seven-time world champion Nour El Sherbini will begin her pursuit for the only major title in the sport that still eludes her as the two seed, and a potential semifinal rematch against world No. 3 Hania El Hammamy.
Amanda Sobhy and Blatchford Clyne will put on an All-American showcase for the home fans Sunday evening–their first match up at the U.S. Open.
Fiechter, a Philadelphia native, awaits one of two talented young Egyptians in either Amina Orfi or Fayrouz Abouelkheir, and a potential third round match against four seed Joelle King.
Sabrina Sobhy will face a difficult second round test against on a top ten player for a second year in a row. Last year, Sobhy produced one of the biggest results of her career to defeat world No. 3 Hania El Hammamy, and the twenty-six-year-old will need to produce the same level of squash to beat Belgian world No. 7 Nele Gilis.
Elias, the only South American to win the trophy in the event’s history, is seeded to face four seed Paul Coll in the semfinals, and will open up his tournament against either Team USA’s Faraz Khan or Columbia graduate Ramit Tandon the second round.
After conceding the U.S. Open final due to injury last year, two-time U.S. Open, top seed and world No. 1 Farag will face a challenging opening match against a resurgent world No. 11 Karim Abdel Gawad. Three-time champion and world No. 3 Mohamed ElShorbagy will have the chance to become just the second four-time champion alongside Peter Nicol and joins Farag in the top half of the draw.
Ten Americans will be in action on opening day, Saturday, October 7.
Harvard senior Marina Stefanoni will hope to pull off an opening round U.S. Open upset for a second year in a row against Egypt’s Mariam Metwally. Fresh off winning his maiden U.S. national title, Andrew Douglas will look to continue his success at the Specter Center against Mexico’s Cesar Salazar.
World No. 37 Shahjahan Khan and world No. 48 Timmy Brownell could set up an all-American second round match against one another if they can progress against Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann and Egypt’s Karim El Hammamy in the first round, respectively.
Philadelphia native Todd Harrity will harness the home crowd support against England’s Adrian Waller.
Lucie Stefanoni and Spencer Lovejoy both return as U.S. Open wild cards, and will hope to record their first career U.S. Open victories over Egypt’s Hana Moataz and Aly Abou El Einen, respectively. After representing Team USA at the World Junior Championships this summer, Madison Ho and Zane Patel will both make their U.S. Open debuts against Canada’s Hollie Naughton and Scotland’s Greg Lobban, respectively.
