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.
View the full list of entrants on usopensquash.com/2018-players.
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.
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