As world-class squash once again descended on the Windy City, World Squash Officiating were responsible for appointing the officials tasked with overseeing competition between some of the world’s best players, at one of the world’s most prestigious events. On court, the standard of play was exceptional. Mostafa Asal continued his dominance on the PSA Squash Tour with another event won without a game being dropped, with Egyptian compatriot Nour El Sherbini returning to winning ways, overcoming World No. 2, Amina Orfi, in 5 games.
Across the 62 matches, our team of officials made 921 decisions, at an average of 14.9 per match. When placed against the tournament’s 4,120 total points, that equates to one decision every 4.5 points – a statistic that represents the physical intensity of squash and the increasing speed of rallies between high-performance athletes, resulting in interference and referee intervention. Those 62 matches were shared amongst our team of officials, with Jason Foster (England) leading the way with 12 match appointments, Curtis Gillespie (Canada) and Daniel Greco (Venezuela) both receiving 11 match appointments and Andrea Santamaria (England) being appointed to 10 matches, before taking the lead at the Texas Open. Owing to a busy schedule, several referees were appointed to Day 1 of the Windy City Open, with JC Abadia, Leo Arozena and Nat Lovell each being appointed to 4 matches, while Canadian duo Ben Groot and Viano Oghenekevwe overseeing 3 matches each during their appointments.
The decision profile saw the number of Strokes and Yes Lets almost equal, with 365 and 359, respectively. This represented around 78.6% of all decisions made throughout the event and provides a sense of how competitive the matches were, with requests for decisions aplenty. There were also 197 No Lets awarded by the referees during the event, making up the remaining 21.4% of the decision profile. The relatively low percentage of No Let decisions exemplifies a commitment of players to get to and play the ball, a continued responsibility enforced by referees on the PSA Squash Tour this season.
Video Review was in place from Day 1 at the illustrious University Club of Chicago, with a total of 38 matches on the Glass Court, requiring a Video Referee (VR). Daniel Greco led the tally with 10 appointments to the VR position, Andrea Santamaria and Curtis Gillespie each receiving 9 VR appointments, Jason Foster receiving 8, while Ben Groot and Viano Oghenekevwe both received 1 VR appointment on their single day officiating at the event.
Out of 93 decisions reviewed by players, a 77.4% uphold rate for reviews signals a strong alignment between the Match Referee and the Video Referee when reviewing decisions, while the 22.6% overrule figure demonstrates the benefits of this technology being in place. Utilised as a meaningful, tactical tool, players can ensure that there is a fair outcome to the rally when they feel that a decision was given incorrectly, as laid down in the Rules of Squash.
After a week of high-level competition, both Men’s and Women’s Finals of the Windy City Open proved to be environments that would test the skills of our team of officials. On court first, the Women’s Final between Nour El Sherbini and Amina Orfi, officiated by Curtis Gillespie and Daniel Greco, saw a total of 48 decisions, at an average of 2.1 points per decision. This evidences a match where interference was common, as proven by the decision split (37.5% Stroke, 33.3% Yes Let and 29.2% No Let). A 5-game affair lasting 86 minutes, the players reviewed a total of 7 decisions, with 6 being upheld and 1 being overruled by the Video Referee, before Nour El Sherbini won 3-2, her first tournament win since the Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open, before her triumph was swiftly followed by a win at the Texas Open the following week.
Following on, the competitors in the Men’s Final took to court, with Mostafa Asal looking to overcome Paul Coll to keep his winning streak alive. The match was officiated by professional pair Jason Foster and Daniel Greco. With a total of 38 decisions, the match was hotly contested, and our referees were tested on their decision-making. Of those 38 decisions, there were 13 Strokes (34.2%), 18 Yes Lets (47.4%), and 7 No Lets (18.4%). Ultimately, it was Mostafa Asal who came out on top in a commanding 3-0 victory in 83 minutes.
The 2026 Windy City Open once again demonstrated the level of elite performance required both on-court and off-court on the PSA Squash Tour. Behind every rally stands a refereeing team tasked with applying the Rules of Squash with neutrality and composure, with the goal of reaching a fair outcome. For World Squash Officiating, the data from Chicago allows us to further inform our ongoing education of referees at the highest level, ensuring that consistency is an expectation, not a luxury.
