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The U.S. Open (squash) is the most prestigious
squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
tournament in the United States, and one of the most significant in the world. It is a major international display of supreme talent in the sport, and showcases the top players from around the world. In 2012 the U.S. Open squash championships was held from October 4-12 at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event forms part of the World Series for both the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the Women's Squash Association (WSA), and is organized by the national governing body for squash in the United States, U.S. Squash. The championship was inaugurated in 1954 as an opportunity for professionals and amateurs to compete against each other. Prior to the mid-1980s, the tournament was held using the
hardball squash Hardball squash is a format of the indoor racquet sport squash which was first developed in North America in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is sometimes referred to as being the "American version" of the sport. Compared to the "Br ...
format (a
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...
n version of squash, which uses a smaller court and a faster-moving ball than the international "softball" version). In 1966, the championship merged with the Canadian Open and became the North American Open. The North American Open continued to use the hardball format and came to establish itself as the most prestigious event in the hardball game. In 1985, the United States Open was reinstituted as a "softball" squash event using the international format. A separate North American Open competition has continued to run as a hardball event. The first championship final in 1954 saw the
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...
amateur player Henri Salaun defeat the great
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i player
Hashim Khan Hashim Khan ( ps, ;  – 18 August 2014) was a squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open Squash Championships (the then ''de facto'' world championship) a total of seven times, from 1951 to 1956, and then again in 1958. Khan ...
in Hashim's first foray to North America. Subsequently the championship came to be dominated by members of the Khan family for the next three decades. Hashim won the title three times between 1956 and 1963. His son
Sharif Khan Sharif Khan (born 1945) is a Pakistani-Canadian retired professional squash player. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time great players of hardball squash (a North American variant of squash played with a faster-moving ball and on sl ...
then captured the title a record 12 times in the 13-year period between 1969 and 1981. Four other members of their extended family also won the championship –
Roshan Khan Roshan Khan (Pashto / ur, ; 26 November 1929 – 6 January 2006) was a squash player from Nawakille, Peshawar, Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game in the early-1960s, and won the British Open title in 1957.< ...
(three titles), Azam Khan (one title), Mo Khan (three titles), and
Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan (Pashto/ ur, جهانگير خان born 10 December 1963) is a former World No. 1 professional Pakistani squash player. He won the World Open title six times , and the British Open title ten times (1982-1991). Jahangir Khan is ...
(three titles – one hardball and two softball). Sharif's younger brother Aziz Khan also finished runner-up in 1981. Another Khan, Jansher Khan, also won three titles in the 1980s and 1990s. Jansher's last win in 1995 marks the last time that a Pakistani player won the title. In recent years, players from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...
, Australia and Canada have enjoyed success at the event.


Men's championship

David Palmer holding a plate trophy after winning the 2002 US Open.


United States Open Championship (softball, 1985–present)


North American Open Championship (hardball, 1966–1984)


United States Open Championship (hardball, 1954–1965)


Men's champions by country


Women's championship


United States Open Championship (softball, 1966–present)


Women's champions by country


See also

*
North American Open The North American Open is an annual international professional squash tournament. Started in 1966, this tournament was one of the most prestigious professional events behind the British Open and the World Open (squash), World Open. The 2014 Nort ...
*
U.S. Squash US Squash is the national governing body for the sport of squash in the United States. Previously called The United States Squash Racquets Association, it is headquartered in New York City and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. US Squa ...
*
US Junior Open squash championship The United States Junior Open Squash Championship is the largest individual junior squash tournament in the world and is considered the third most prestigious junior open squash championship after the World Junior and the British Junior Open squ ...
* British Open Squash * World Open


Note

1 The 2001 United States Open was played in January 2002 as the Memorial Open in honor of those who died in the September 11 2001 attacks. The event was scheduled to take place in September 2001, but was postponed following the attacks.


References


External links


U.S. Open Squash website

USsquash.com tournament list


{{Squash competitions Squash tournaments in the United States Squash in the United States Squash in Pennsylvania