Hania El Hammamy (Photo PSA)
World No.1s Mostafa Asal and Hania El Hammamy top the draws at the Windy City Open in Chicago as they look to claim the prestigious titles for the first time in their careers.
Reigning world champion Asal has only featured in the Windy City Open twice in his career. His best finish came in 2024 where he lost out to Paul Coll in the semi-finals. Since then, the Egyptian has featured in 26 events and reached the final in 21 of them.
Highlighting his dominance of the PSA Squash Tour and showcasing his incredible consistency. Asal faces World No.14 Aly Abou Eleinen in the opening round, one of only six players to beat Asal for nearly two years.
No.2 seed Paul Coll has enjoyed three finals in a row at the Windy City Open, winning in dramatic fashion in 2022. The New Zealander recovered from 2-0 down to beat Youssef Ibrahim in the final, Ibrahim is the player who has beaten Coll in the pair’s last two events in China and Hong Kong.
Coll’s confidence gained from wins in London and Qatar earlier in the season can stand him in good stead as he looks to claim a second title in Chicago.
Peru’s Diego Elias is often a strong performer in North American events, over half of his total event wins have come in either the USA or Canada.
The Windy City Open however hasn’t been the most lucrative for the 2024 World Champion. Elias has failed to progress past the quarter final stage in the event in his career. A statistic that he’ll be hoping to change as he returns to the tour after injury. He is the No.3 seed and sits in the same half of the draw as Asal.
Outside the top three seeds, dangerous players are certainly ready and waiting to cause upsets if the top players don’t reach their top level. No.6 seed Youssef Ibrahim has reached the final in his last three events and will be looking to continue that form in the same place where he reached his first-ever major event final.
Karim Gawad had moved back inside the top four in the world and, on his day, can be a nightmare for anyone he faces. Whilst Wales’ Joel Makin is still searching for a first Platinum title and will have no doubt in his ability to win.
The women’s event sees new World No.1 Hania El Hammamy top the high-quality draw as she looks to add the Windy City Open trophy to her ever-growing collection of titles. El Hammamy was a beaten finalist in 2022 but returns this season full of confidence after winning three of the four majors so far in the 25/26 campaign. She’ll take on USA’s Sabrina Sobhy in round one, a previous bogey player of El Hammamy.
Featuring in only her second ever Windy City Open, Egypt’s teenage sensation Amina Orfi may feel as though a Platinum title is next on her checklist of accomplishments. The 18-year-old has already won three events so far this season and is set to reach World No.2 early in the new year.
The hunger and desire to push on is clear to see every time Orfi steps onto court, and a maiden major event win is surely only around the corner.
Women’s No.3 seed Nour ElSherbini needs no introduction to the Chicago crowd. The 8x World Champion holds the Windy City close to her heart and boasts an astonishing record in PSA events hosted there.
Across both the Windy City Open and PSA World Championships, ElSherbini has only lost one match in the last 38 in Chicago. Full of confidence after ending the year on a high in Hong Kong, she’ll be desperate to create more special memories in February in a place that she quite clearly loves to play squash.
USA’s Olivia Weaver reached her first Platinum event final in Hong Kong earlier this month and having sampled that feeling, will no doubt be wanting more of it, especially on home soil. The No.4 seed has been one of the most consistent high performers over the last few seasons, but with a win against one of the ‘Big 3’ still eluding her, can the Windy City Open provide the perfect atmosphere for a statement Weaver performance?
As well as Weaver, the Chiacgo crowd will have plenty of players to cheer on, including other USA leading players Timothy Brownell, the Sobhy sisters and Marina Stefanoni. Also, wildcards Mathias Knudsen, Ava Lin and Caroline Fouts, as well as Chicago favourite Nathan Lake.
