November 1-7, 2026 PHILADELPHIA, PA
The U.S. Open Squash Championships return to Philadelphia this fall, October 19-26, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center on the campus of Drexel University.
Mark your calendars now to witness the world’s best squash players competing for one of the world’s most prestigious titles.
Tickets will go on sale this summer.
Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini and New Zealand’s Paul Coll will both have their names engraved on the U.S. Open trophies for the first time.
El Sherbini and Coll had contrasting journeys to their first U.S. Open titles.
El Sherbini reached her first U.S. Open final in 2014, and fell short in four finals against Nicol David, Camille Serme, Raneem El Welily and Nouran Gohar. At twenty-seven years old, El Sherbini had won every major title the sport has to offer including seven world titles–except for the U.S. Open. Until Saturday night.
The world No. 1 put on a clinical display to avenge her 2021 U.S. Open semifinal loss against Hania El Hammamy to complete her trophy case 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 in thirty-five minutes.
“Hania wasn’t playing her best, but I had my chances and I didn’t want to give her any cheap points,” said El Sherbini afterwards. “I think I played well and maybe that’s why she wasn’t at her best, but she kept fighting until the last point. I felt she wanted to win so much, and I have a little bit more experience than her, so I was more relaxed.”
Coll was making his U.S. Open final debut against two-time champion Ali Farag. The Kiwi reached the final after five-game quarterfinal and semifinal wins over Mazen Hesham and Diego Elias, but appeared to be on the brink of a 3-0 win after a quick opening two games 11-7, 11-7. The world No. 1 started to find his rhythm and dig in, taking the next two games and pushing Coll in the fifth to nine all. At which point Coll won a crucial point to go up 10-9, at which point Farag returned the serve into the tin to hand Coll his fourth career Platinum title.
“I thought I had it after the second, but I got way too excited and saw the finish line way too early,” Coll said. “I thought he was struggling, but he came back at me and his mentality is a joke. I couldn’t believe the way he reset, I needed to be more solid and I needed to finish him. I’m very happy to close the fifth out like that, my legs felt like concrete. It’s nice to play like that after last season. The win is great, but the whole week has been amazing for me.”
The 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships marked the fiftieth staging of the event since 1954, and tenth anniversary of the tournament ushering in prize money parity for men and women–setting the standard on the PSA World Tour for the past decade.
New Zealand’s Paul Coll dethroned Peru’s Diego Elias to reach his maiden U.S. Open final against two-time champion Ali Farag, while Egypt’s top two seeds–Nour El Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy–will contest the women’s final of the 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
Semifinals night staged four world class match ups that put on a spectacle for the packed Specter Center gallery around the Lenfest Court.
The opening match up saw Egypt’s two seed and 2021 finalist Hania El Hammamy record an impressive four-game win over Team USA’s Amanda Sobhy to reach her second U.S. Open final. El Hammamy will face seven time world champion Nour El Sherbini who dispatched American Olivia Fiechter in four games.
At twenty-seven-years old, El Sherbini has won every major title the sport has to offer except for the U.S. Open. Saturday will mark the world No. 1’s fifth final appearance in Philadelphia and opportunity to complete her trophy cabinet.
“Olivia has improved a lot from the beginning of the season, she’s been playing really well and beating Nour El Tayeb and Salma [Hany] is amazing,” El Sherbini said. “She was definitely playing well, but I wasn’t playing well. I don’t know why I dropped off, but I’m glad I came back and stuck to my game plan.”
The men’s draw will feature a first-time finalist in New Zealand’s Paul Coll. The former world No. 1 and current world No. 5 won two five-game matches to reach the final–both completed after 10:30pm to close out the day’s sessions on Thursday and Friday nights. Coll ended Peruvian Diego Elias’ hopes of both back-to-back U.S. Open titles and reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking.
“I’ve had an off-season for the first time in three years, so I put in some work, the body’s feeling the best it’s felt in three years, I’ve put in a good two months and that’s been crucial,” Coll said. “I’ve been planning my season better and having these training blocks and that’s what makes me feel good, I see Rob [Owen] for a week to prepare properly and that’s what makes me feel like I’m ready for an event and I can back these matches up. I was very happy with that and my body’s feeling great. I was trying to be more aggressive with everything I did in terms of volleying. You could see when he [Diego Elias] slow balled me down that backhand, his control was so good and I couldn’t do anything and I got stuck behind him and he picks me off. I was trying not to get stuck there and shift it a bit better than I normally shift it.”
Two-time U.S. Open champion Ali Farag will aim to join the elite club of three-time champions against Coll, but the world No. 1’s path to the final was arduous with a five-game comeback from 2-0 down against compatriot Tarek Momen.
Saturday’s finals will begin at 6pm ET. Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Squash fans around the world can watch the action live on squash.tv.
The U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist will feature two American semifinalists for the first time–marking the first time two Americans have reached the semifinals of any PSA Platinum event together–after Fiechter upset 2017 champion Nour El Tayeb Thursday, October 12, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
Fiechter, who made her debut in a Platinum semifinal at the 2021 U.S. Open, made a strong start to her quarterfinal match against the 2017 champion El Tayeb, taking the first game 11-9. El Tayeb pulled away from nine-all in the second game to level the score 9-all.
The Philadelphia native was cheered on a by a vocal crowd including a large group from her alma mater Germantown Friends School, and pulled through a tense third game 13-11 with well-constructed rallies. Fiechter pulled away to clinch the match in the fourth 11-7 in fifty-eight minutes.
“She [Nour El Tayeb] hits the ball with great weight,” said Fiechter. “On this court, if you let the ball come back, it’s so deadly back there. I was trying to cut that off, take it around the middle and stay in front of her as much as I could. I knew she was going to take it into the front, so I told myself to push up and not get beat on the drop and the boast. We did a lot of work on that in the last few months and it felt like it came through tonight.”
Fiechter and U.S. teammate Amanda Sobhy–who won her quarterfinal match on Wednesday–will compete on opposite ends of the draw against Egypt’s top two seeds.
Fiechter will face Egypt’s seven-time world champion Nour El Sherbini in Friday night’s semifinals. The Egyptian has won every major title in the sport except for the U.S. Open, and appeared to be on the brink of elimination Thursday night when England’s seven seed Georgina Kennedy held a 6-2 advantage in the fourth game with a 2-1 lead in games. The world No. 1 managed to fight back and take the match in five to move one step closer to an elusive U.S. Open title.
“I needed this match to get some momentum and a testing match before the semis,” said El Sherbini. “I have no idea why I haven’t wont he U.S. Open, I tried four times with different people, I lost to Raneem [El Welily], Nicol [David], Camille [Serme] and Nouran [Gohar]. Inshallah this time it will happen.”
Peru’s Defending champion and two seed Diego Elias continues his title defense and quest to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking after a four-game victory over Egypt’s five seed Marwan ElShorbagy.
“We were both playing at a very high pace, so I knew at some point he was going to drop off and I played a bit smarter in the last couple of games,” Elias said. “We’re very close friends and I noticed today that he was a lot more aggressive from the first few rallies. I knew it was going to be a different time to the matches where I won in ToC and Pittsburgh more comfortably. We’re not friends on the court, it’s a different story, so it’s great to play a match like this.”
New Zealand’s world No. 4 Paul Coll will face Elias in what will be his first U.S. Open semifinal appearance since 2018. The Kiwi earned the final spot in the semifinals late into the night after a marathon five-game, eighty-two-minute win over Egypt’s Mazen Hesham.
“I felt like I was getting myself into really good positions, but I was over hitting my length, under hitting my length, hitting the side wall and I kept giving him a good position when I was in a good position,” Coll said. “He’s evolved his game beautifully, he’s more patient and his length is underrated, he’s got that hold, he pushes you back and then he stabs in a drop. He’s lengthening the court out a bit better and being more patient. He’s maturing as a squash player with the weapons he’s got and it makes him a more dangerous opponent.”
Friday’s semifinals will begin at 6pm ET. Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Squash fans around the world can watch the action live on squash.tv.
The first half of the 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist quarterfinals culminated with two dramatic results as Amanda Sobhy pulled off a dramatic five-game comeback win over World Junior Champion Amina Orfi and Tarek Momen ended his twelve game losing streak against world No. 3 Mohamed ElShorbagy Wednesday, October 11, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
The opening two matches saw Egypt’s two-time U.S. Open champion Ali Farag and 2021 U.S. Open finalist Hania El Hammamy both progress to Friday’s semifinals with four-game victories over Miguel Angel Rodriguez and Nele Gilis, respectively.
The final slate of matches produced dramatic scenes on the Specter Center’s Lenfest Court.
Momen, a runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Open, had won just five of thirty matches against ElShorbagy coming into today’s match and the thirty-five-year-old hadn’t tasted victory against the Englishman since 2019. Momen put together a superb five-game performance, coming back from 2-1 down and sealed with a dramatic winning nick to clinch match point in the fifth game after sixty-five minutes.
“I’m very happy with today’s performance,” Momen said. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming. I had to push myself and I worked so hard in the summer. Everyone thinks I’m 35 and the curve is going down and I knew this wasn’t the case. I needed to prove to myself that I can get back to where I was. At the beginning of the season, even though I wasn’t getting the results, I could see I was playing better and I was fitter. Today was the day when I managed to convert.”
The final match of the night was between Sobhy, who was targeting her first U.S. Open semifinal appearance since 2016 against Egyptian phenom Amina Orfi.
The American took a strong foothold in the first game of the match, but the sixteen-year-old two-time World Junior Champion responded by taking the next two and a 6-1 lead in the fourth game. Pushed on by family and friends in the crowd, Sobhy fought back to take the fourth 11-9 and clinch a semifinal berth 11-3 in the fifth after sixty-three minutes.
“I think a few years ago there’s no way I would have won a match like that,” Sobhy said. “I probably would have crumbled and confidence-wise I wouldn’t have been able to fight and stick in with it. Since moving down to Florida I’ve put a really good training block in, I’ve been working with Wael [El Hindi], we have a good team and set up down there. I have something to fall back on, so even when I’m 6-1 down I’m okay.”
Team USA’s world No. 9 Olivia Fiechter will aim to join her teammate in the semifinals on Thursday against four seed Nour El Tayeb. The second half of the quarterfinals will play out from 6pm ET.
Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Squash fans around the world can watch the action live on squash.tv.
Berwyn Squash & Fitness, the nation’s first commercial squash club, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary at the U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist Tuesday, October 11.
Thanks to the efforts of Sunil Desai, nearly 100 players from Berwyn’s vibrant membership attended the evening of U.S. Open third round matches and packed into one of the doubles courts for a group picture at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
Owner and long-time head professional Dominic Hughes was presented with a special plaque by Specter Center Executive Director Ned Edwards. Edwards commended Berwyn for modeling public and community squash for the rest of the country.
Hughes thanked his staff, predecessors and every member for being a part of the “Berwyn family.”
“We have worked really hard to create a family friendly culture at the club,” Hughes said. “We have literally seen thousands of players come through our doors. It is particularly satisfying when we see junior players return to the club as young adults, and they still love the game. It makes me feel really old, however, when they ask me to coach their kids as well. Playing squash is about having fun, but it also about community. And for this I have to thank everyone who I consider to be my Berwyn family, all of you.”
Read Squash Magazine‘s profile of Berwyn’s fortieth anniversary from 2013.
Team USA’s Olivia Fiechter dispatched world No.11 Salma Hany for the first time in her career to reach her second career quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist Tuesday, October 10, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
Fiechter–who made her first semifinal appearance in a Platinum semifinal at the 2021 U.S. Open–has made a strong start to her 2023 campaign with two 3-0 victories. The Egyptian pushed Fiechter in the first game, but the Philly native took it 13-11, and went on to win 11-4, 11-7 in the second and third games to advance in thirty-eight minutes.
“I’m not going to lie, that win was huge for me,” Fiechter said. “I put in a really hard summer training block and I’ve had some good performances, but I’ve also had some not so good performances this year and I’m trying to find that balance and blend with some changes I made this summer while incorporating my natural game. My goal was to go out there and trust myself. I’m really happy with how committed I was to my game plan and I stayed really positive.”
Fiechter will face Egypt’s four seed and 2017 U.S. Open champion Nour El Tayeb in the quarterfinals after El Tayeb made quick work of England’s Lucy Beecroft.
“That’s the first time I’ve beaten Salma, I knew it was going to be really challenging, she’s a great player and I’m really happy with that performance,” Fiechter said. “I feel like I’m moving the best I’ve ever moved thanks to the work over so many years, but particularly this summer I definitely put a lot of work into it.”
The only match that wasn’t decided in three games on Tuesday was a five-game battle between seven seed Georgina Kennedy and Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby, who saved two match balls late in the fifth game before the English international took the seventy-one-minute encounter 12-10.
On the men’s side, defending champion Diego Elias, four seed Paul Coll, six seed Mazen Hesham and five seed Marwan ElShorbagy all advanced without dropping a game.
Draws and match times are available on usopensquash.com/draws. Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Squash fans around the world can watch the action live on squash.tv.
SquashSmarts, the Philadelphia youth enrichment program, celebrated its VIP Night at the 2023 U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist Monday, October 9.
More than four hundred-and-fifty SquashSmarts staff members, students, parents, donors, advisors, and board members attended the SquashSmarts VIP Night at the Open. Steve Gregg, the executive director of SquashSmarts, and Quinetta Bowden, SquashSmart’s senior program director and a SquashSmarts graduate, welcomed the large crowd at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
Bowden thanked the entire SquashSmarts family, saying they were proud to work with 160 girls and boys in fifth to twelfth grades, 157 alumni graduates, 636 community members and two facilities—the Lenfest Center in North Philadelphia and the Specter Center. She thanked the parent community, teachers and school staff, board of directors, advisors, committee members, corporate and foundation partners, public officials, friends, donors and partners and volunteers who work every day to provide year-round intensive programming at SquashSmarts.
Gregg, who has been the executive director at SquashSmarts since 2004, saluted the hardworking, supportive staff which gathered on court with him. They included directors of academics, squash and fitness, transportation, community, development and administrative. Sixty percent of SquashSmarts’ staff are SquashSmarts alumni.
Founded in 2001, SquashSmarts has just begun its twenty-third season. A 501(c)3 non-profit, SquashSmarts is an award-winning, free, intensive, out-of-school academic and athletic mentoring program changing the lives of Philadelphia’s public-school students. Students are recruited in middle school from Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary, Neuva Esperanza Academy Charter, Science Leadership Academy, Carver School for Engineering & Science and Overbrook Educational Center. The program’s students attend practices three days a week for seven years and then maintain a deep relationship after they graduate from high school.
Egypt’s two-time World Junior Champion Amina Orfi made history in her first appearance at the U.S. Open Squash Championships presented by Truist, becoming the youngest player in tournament history to reach the quarterfinals with an upset over world No. 4 Joelle King Monday, October 9, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
At sixteen years and three months old, Orfi surpasses Nour El Sherbini who previously reached the 2014 U.S. Open quarterfinals at eighteen. Orfi came back from losing the first game 13-11 against four seed King–who is more than twice her age at thirty-four–to win 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 in fifty-four minutes.
“I can’t believe it, I came into this match with no expectations,” said Orfi afterwards. “I learnt lessons in Paris and Qatar, I played point by point and the results just came. I had to take care of her experience, she’s been on court way more than me, so when she’s tired she knows how to manage the game very well. I had to play my best shots because when they were in the middle she put them away. I’m looking forward to a rest delay to relax, finally.”
Orfi will face Team USA’s Amanda Sobhy in the quarterfinals Wednesday after the American put in a clinical 3-0 performance against Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy.
The rest of the day’s results played out according to seeing with the top eight seeds all progressing to the first half of the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Colombia’s world No. 13 Miguel Rodriguez defeated world No. 12 Youssef Soliman in an entertaining five-game affair to close out the night.
Draws and match times are available on usopensquash.com/draws. Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Squash fans around the world can watch the action live on squash.tv.
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.
