This 2014 METROsquash Windy City Open presented by Guggenheim and EquiTrust Life Insurance Company offered the richest prize purse Chicago Squash has ever seen. The PSA WORLD SERIES GOLD men’s event drew the majority of top 10 players in the world and also welcomed the women back with a WSA GOLD event that attracted most of the world’s top 10 women squash professionals.
Photos of the event are available for purchase, and proceeds from the purchase of these photographs will benefit METROsquash, Chicago’s urban squash and education program for students in Chicago Public Schools, as we are donating a major portion of the proceeds from these photographs to METROsquash.
The glass court in Cathedral Hall of the University Club of Chicago, with its stained glass and gothic style presented a unique, intimate venue for the sport at its highest level. A beautiful setting for such prestigious top level world class event.
For the first time in the history of the PSA, two men, Nick Matthew and Greg Gaultier, were tied for first place on the PSA world rankings list. Both had the exact same number of ranking points. Matthew, a previous Windy City Open Champion, and Gaultier, a three time Windy City Open finalist had their work cut out for them competing against the likes of Shabana, who had just won the Tournament of Champions, Mohammed El Shorbagy, and a cast of other top players.
The WSA women’s draw has top seeds Laura Massaro (world # 2) and Raneem El Welily (world # 3) facing off against 6 other players ranked in the top 10. 14 nations are represented in the Women’s draw.
The Windy City Open retained its connection with METROsquash, Chicago’s urban squash and education program for students in Chicago Public Schools. You can read more about them and their exciting plans for a new facility here.