{"id":4745,"date":"2025-10-17T08:41:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=4745"},"modified":"2025-10-17T08:41:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:41:50","slug":"2025-us-open-squash-championships-returns-to-philly-considered-the-birthplace-of-squash-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/2025-us-open-squash-championships-returns-to-philly-considered-the-birthplace-of-squash-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 US Open Squash Championships returns to Philly, considered the birthplace of squash in\u00a0America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The world\u2019s best professional squash players will be in Philadelphia for the U.S. Open Squash Championships at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in University City from Oct. 19-25, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Squash, for the first time an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, has its U.S. epicenter in Philadelphia, which is also considered the birthplace of squash in America. The sport was introduced to the U.S. at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia in 1900, where the first squash doubles court was later established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James Zug, the preeminent historian of the game, writes about how, in the winter of 1901, 32 men competed at the club in the first squash tournament on American soil. Many other Philadelphia clubs followed, leading to a local squash culture that spread to high schools and colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States Squash Racquets Association, now US Squash, was founded in Philadelphia in 1904, later moved to New York City, and in 2021 relocated its offices back to Philly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m a sports psychologist who works with elite professional squash athletes and also writes about the game. As the former athletic director at Drexel University, I helped introduce varsity squash to the school and also assisted in starting a nonprofit community program called SquashSmarts for Philly public school students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I believe squash is one of Philly\u2019s best-kept secrets, as many Philadelphians do not know that our city is host to an Olympic training high-performance center, the U.S. Squash Hall of Fame and youth development programs known as urban squash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/686130\/original\/file-20250818-56-92g3o3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Woman in purple T-shirt and short white skirt stands on squash court as kids play\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>In this Feb. 11, 2014, photo, squash coach Sakora Miller directs kids at SquashSmarts, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching the sport to Philly kids. <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ap.org\/detail\/UrbanStudentsSquash\/1e2645e89d6b45f0a98ed210121e8151\/photo\">AP Photo\/Matt Rourke<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A feast for the brain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Squash originated from the older game of racquets, which was played in London\u2019s prisons during the 19th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vulcanization of rubber by Charles Goodyear in 1839 enabled the creation of a squeezable rubber ball that maintained its original shape after being \u201csquashed\u201d against the wall. The British Commonwealth, through its worldwide military, social and political influence, promoted and grew the game internationally and set standardized rules and courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/686119\/original\/file-20250818-56-elc16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Black-and-white photo of four men in shirts, slacks and shoes holding squash rackets\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Racquets doubles players in Philadelphia in January 1900. Squash was introduced to Philadelphia the same year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/news-photo\/international-doubles-at-philadelphia-international-news-photo\/507137332\">The Print Collector\/Hulton Archive via Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching professional squash today feels like being in gym class and science class at the same time: The sport showcases incredible athleticism and celebrates the laws of mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Squash is best understood in terms of its form and its essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The form of squash includes the ancient proportions of the cella of the Parthenon, which held the sacred statue of Athena holding Nike, the goddess of victory. An international squash court is 32 feet by 21 feet, and this ratio of approximately 1 to 1.5 establishes a sense of geometric order. With all walls and angles in play, and emphasizing elements such as time, velocity and space, squash allows for an amazing spectacle of creativity, elegance and speed. It is a feast for the brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TOP 10 MEN&#039;S SQUASH RALLIES OF THE DECADE\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nTcvGK3k1IQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mental aspects of the game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But the essence of squash is mental, and the three aspects I find especially intriguing are mindfulness, playfulness and fairness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mindfulness<\/strong>: Mindfulness involves not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. This is easier said than done, especially when a player is exhausted and struggling. The competitive squash player must focus on the moment and anticipate the next. This requires processing information in real time and practicing mindfulness to avoid distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Playfulness<\/strong>: When I was a young athlete, I gave a B effort in practice and an A effort during competition. I had it all wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I now understand that intense, disciplined practices are the foundation for tomorrow\u2019s world-class athlete. There are no shortcuts. Psychologist Angela Duckworth advocates that excellence is 66% grit \u2013 which she describes as a combination of passion, effort and perseverance \u2013 with the other 34% being innate talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For high-performance athletes, it is beneficial to be a neurotic perfectionist in practice, but not during competition, when they need to be situationally aware. Performance coach Brian Levenson writes about the pro athlete being the opposite of a perfectionist when competing, shifting to being playful, intuitive, confident and adaptable instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, practice like a pro, play like a kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/687234\/original\/file-20250825-64-5x05bn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Two men, one in athletic uniform and one in suit, pose together for a photograph\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The author, right, with Simon R\u00f6sner, Germany\u2019s highest-ever-ranked player at No. 3, in a postmatch cooldown at the U.S. Open Squash Championships in Philadelphia. Courtesy Eric Zillmer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fairness<\/strong>: One intriguing aspect of squash is the two competitors share the same space. This requires respect for your opponent as well as the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At its best, squash resembles a dance between two foes, with the winner graciously allowing their opponent to leave the court first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>US Squash has made sportsmanship and character a key initiative as the sport grows in popularity at all levels of play. While the art of deception, such as head fakes or varying your swing timing, is a valued tactical skill, blocking the opponent, whether subtle or overt, is not. In Philly, the U.S. Open Squash Championships will have officials and a public video assistant referee, or VAR, system to sort things out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/686123\/original\/file-20250818-56-tqqy0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Black-and-white photo of man on court hitting ball with a racket\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania playing squash in 1985. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/news-photo\/sen-arlen-specter-r-pa-playing-squash-the-senator-won-4-out-news-photo\/674195972\">Laura Patterson\/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Philly\u2019s Olympic center<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Philadelphia\u2019s most passionate amateur players was the longtime U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter. In 2021, the Arlen Specter US Squash Center, located on the campus of Drexel University, opened and was named in his honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Specter Center is a state-of-the-art training facility that is not just the home of the U.S. Open and Team USA but also the administrative center for US Squash, and a hub for the U.S. junior and senior national teams, as well as urban squash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The inclusion of squash in the 2028 Olympics is a milestone for the increasingly international sport. Currently, eight nationalities are represented among the top 10 male and female pro players, although in recent years Egypt has dominated both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two U.S. women who are ranked in the world Top 10 are Team USA\u2019s best chances to win gold: Amanda Sobhy, who went undefeated at Harvard, and Philly\u2019s own Olivia Weaver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to catch them in action before the 2028 games, both will compete at the U.S. Open Squash Championships. Weaver will play Farida Mohamed from Egypt on Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m., and Sobhy will face Melissa Alves from France the same day at 2:15 p.m. Both matches will be played on the center glasswall courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/687232\/original\/file-20250825-56-q45l6z.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Two women athletes compete on squash court with four transparent walls surrounded by onlookers\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>US Squash has a major national facility in Philadelphia, the Arlen Specter US Squash Center. Courtesy US Squash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Read more of our stories about <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\/philadelphia-pennsylvania-news\">Philadelphia<\/a>, or sign up for our Philadelphia <a href=\"https:\/\/tcphilly.substack.com\/\">newsletter on Substack<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/eric-zillmer-2311879\">Eric Zillmer<\/a>, Professor of Neuropsychology, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/drexel-university-1074\">Drexel University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/2025-us-open-squash-championships-returns-to-philly-considered-the-birthplace-of-squash-in-america-260898\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world\u2019s best professional squash players will be in Philadelphia for the U.S. Open Squash Championships at the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-4745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-squash"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed.jpg",1336,668,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed-300x150.jpg",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed-768x384.jpg",640,320,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed-1024x512.jpg",640,320,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed.jpg",1336,668,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed.jpg",1336,668,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/international\/\" rel=\"category tag\">International<\/a>","tag_info":"International","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Olivia-Weaver-1_compressed.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4745"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4749,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4745\/revisions\/4749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}