By Jay D. Prince
For thirty-three years, the Windy City Open has been a mainstay in Chicago and, at the end of this month, the event will kick into gear again at the University Club of Chicago. Featuring a men’s professional draw with prize money of $115,000, the 2014 METROSquash Windy City Open presented by Guggenheim and Equitrust Life Insurance Company will also welcome back the women’s professional tour for the first time since 2010 with $50,000 in prize money.
Since John Flanigan’s arrival as the head pro at the University Club, the Windy City has received tremendous support from throughout the Midwest. Flanigan has been adept at delivering incredible professional draws, despite some prize money highs and lows over the year, and the list of past champions is nothing short of impressive. From the hardball days when Mark Talbott won fourteen titles, to the modern era with the likes of Nick Matthew, Amr Shabana, Thierry Lincou, John White and David Palmer each taking home winner’s hardware, the Windy City Open continuously welcomes the best players in the world. The 2014 edition will be no different with the top-four seeds being Nick Matthew, three-time finalist Gregory Gaultier, Ramy Ashour and Mohamed Elshorbagy. On the women’s side, world No. 1 Nicol David will make her first appearance in the country’s third largest city.
The fact that the Windy City Open has been staged every year since 1981 also makes this championship unique in the squash world. The same cannot be said for the British Open or the Tournament of Champions in New York. But Flanigan has deftly accepted that the “show must go on” even in years when the prize money simply had to be reduced. Since 1999, prize money for the PSA event has ranged from a low of $5,000 to its peak in 2006 when SSA Global was in its final year of sponsorship and took it to $100,000. In 2010, the Windy City also served as the U.S. Open when it was staged on the amphitheater at Millenium Park.
The sponsorship by SSA Global also helped transform the Windy City Open into a glass court event when, in 2004, the court was erected in the University Club’s Cathedral Hall. One of the biggest challenges was just getting the court into the building—part of the woodwork in the front lobby of the University Club had to be cut out to make room for the larger pieces— and up to the ninth floor. The result has been a stunning intimate setting with Cathedral Hall’s twelve-foot stained glass windows and the coats of arms of the colleges and universities of the club’s founding members.
The amateur tournament held alongside the PSA and WSA events is equally anticipated as it attracts nearly 180 players from around the country. In 2008, the Windy City became one of three US Squash Regional Skill Level Championships. Today, it is one of eight Regional Qualifiers for the U.S. Skill Level Championships, with finalists gaining complimentary entry into the April event in Baltimore, Maryland.
Under University Club of Chicago member and Guggenheim CEO Mark Walter’s leadership, Guggenheim, together with co-title sponsor EquiTrust Life Insurance Company are sponsoring the Championships for the second year in a row. Their enthusiasm and encouragement plus the club members’ eager support as patrons—and the added benefit of Crown Imports supplying Corona beer for the last twenty years—the 2014 edition will be in full swing Feb. 24-Mar. 3
For up to the minute details, visit the official website: windycityopen.com
