We’ve reached the semi-finals stage at the Windy City Open 2026 presented by the Walter Family, with four top-quality matches coming up from the University Club of Chicago.
World No.1 Hania El Hammamy and 8x World Champion Nour ElSherbini will add another chapter to their already amazing tale in the opening match of the day. Dominant top seed Mostafa Asal faces first-time major event semi-finalist Gregoire Marche in match two. World Junior Champion Amina Orfi will play USA No.1 Olivia Weaver in the penultimate match of the night whilst Paul Coll faces Karim Gawad to complete the day’s play.
ElSherbini Claims Revenge Over World No.1 El Hammamy To Continue Chicago Streak
The opening match of the day saw a 29th meeting between World No.1 Hania El Hammamy and 8x World Champion Nour ElSherbini. The Egyptian duo met at the same stage in the last major event – the Tournament of Champions – with El Hammamy winning in five games.
ElSherbini started the better of the two in the opening game, running out to a strong 4-0 lead, taking advantage of a slow start by the World No.1. The 2x Windy City Open champion continued to hit her corners well and gave El Hammamy no opportunities to attack. ElSherbini kept a lead throughout the game and drew first blood in the match, winning 11-6 in 11 minutes.
A response from El Hammamy was expected but the momentum remained with ElSherbini. As the score reached 4-4, a refereeing decision went against El Hammamy, which was followed by a poor error, giving ElSherbini a two-point advantage. ElSherbini held the lead once again throughout the rest of the game and took a crucial 2-0 lead, winning 11-6.
With only 22 minutes on the clock as game three began, El Hammamy needed to put work into the legs of ElSherbini and find a way to halt the winners of the No.3 seed. The top seed did exactly that. Hitting with added purpose and intensity, El Hammamy roared back and after only nine minutes, clawed a game back. The fourth game saw both players exchange quick points back and forth, which seemed to only suit ElSherbini. The rallies at the business end of the game started to become harder and longer, which enabled El Hammamy to move ahead. She earned the first game ball at 10-9 and converted at the first time of asking to equalise at 2-2.
The pair had played 10 five-set matches against eachother, locked in at 5-5, the intensity was high throughout an entertaining fifth. El Hammamy earned a two-point lead at 5-3 but ElSherbini won the next five points to completely flip the momentum and lead 8-5. The Warrior Princess maintained the three-point lead to reach 10-7 and after an El Hammamy error, the World No.4 was into another final in Chicago. A fifth Windy City Open final coming up for ElSherbini.
“I think I really wanted to win today,” said ElSherbini.
“I think I had a good game plan, but I think Hania was missing her targets a bit today. I lost a bit of focus in the third, and that opened the door for her. I lost to her from 2-0 up a few years ago here so I definitely had this game in my mind and i didn’t want to have this happen again.
“I always want a good start, but it never seems to happen. I don’t really know what changed today. I had some points that I know I did wrong from the ToC so I wanted to change those things and then just try and play well from there. I tried to just keep my focus and stick to the game plan and that made the difference i think, today.
“Having Greg and my parents here is amazing; they all help me, and Greg has been here and done it, so that’s so good for me to have.”
Result:
[3] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt [1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 11-7 (69m)
Asal Ends Marche Run To Reach Sixth Major Final of the Season
World No.1 and World Champion Mostafa Asal continued his fine form as he ended the impressive run of 35-year-old Gregoire Marche to reach a sixth major event final this season. Maintaining his 100% record in major event finals this season.
Asal hasn’t dropped a single game since his loss to French No.1 Victor Crouin in October at the Silicon Valley Open. 35-year-old Marche was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Crouin and cause a huge upset in Chicago. The World No.1 started in superb style, racing to an 8-2 lead. Marche started to find his way into the game from this point and won the next four rallies to get to within two points. Asal reverted back to basics and closed the game out 11-6.
Marche enjoyed a better start in the second game and stayed with Asal in the early exchanges. Marche became increasingly frustrated with Asal’s movement as the game went on, which only hindered the non-seeded player. Asal marched to 10-5, eventually winning 11-6 to take a 2-0 lead. The end came quickly for Marche in the third as resistance faded from the Frenchman. Asal showed off all of his attacking flair to seal the game 11-2 and take a place in another major final.
“I want to give so much credit to Greg [Marche]. He’s a fighter, an entertainer, and a great player. He’s been amazing this week,” said Asal.
“To do this at nearly 36 is unbelievable. If I reach this age, I will not be playing any sport. I will be lying on the bed eating popcorn, probably. He’s such a warrior, he made the tournament special and has produced so many upsets, so great credit to him.
“My team and my family are the reason for my form this season. I’m really happy with how I’m playing. I don’t listen to anything or any stats. One day I will lose, so I’m just looking forward to the final tomorrow.”
Result:
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 (36m)
Orfi Ends Home Hopes In EPIC Clash To Reach First Chicago Final
The last remaining home hope of the event took to the court in the third match of the day as Olivia Weaver faced Amina Orfi in a highly anticipated World No.2 vs World No.3 clash.
The first game was full of long, attritional rallies with both players trying to get used to the warm court conditions and control the bouncy ball. The pair traded blows until the ball softened at the business end at 7-7. Weaver reached 10-8 to take a crucial opener, but Orfi wasn’t finished there. The World Junior Champion rattled off three points in a row to earn her first game ball and eventually stole the game 14-12 in 25 minutes.
Weaver, not deterred by the loss of game one, came back onto court with a steely determination to respond. She ran out to a 6-2 lead, playing quick, accurate squash. Orfi came back to 6-5 but Weaver swung the tide back in her favour to leap ahead and win the game 11-5. The USA No.1 looked to be physically struggling at the start of game three but her hard-hitting style was keeping her in touch on the scoreboard. A jumbo rally at 5-4 went the way of the American, which ultimately decided the game as Weaver stormed through to win 11-7.
Despite looking down and out at the end of the third game, Orfi found an extra gear that no one was expecting. Orfi stormed through to lead 8-0 in a must-win game for the Egyptian. Her lines to the back of the court drastically improved, which forced Weaver to consistently defend. The 18-year-old wasted no time in sending the match to a decider.
Orfi continued to hit consistent, accurate lines to the back of the court, but Weaver had improved her defensive hitting and was now able to counterpunch and earn points of her own. Orfi won a mammoth rally to lead 8-6 but Weaver was far from out of it. The American steadied the ship and found clinical winners to lead 9-8. The score reversed again and it was now Orfi’s turn to control the middle. She earned the first match ball at 10-9 but wasn’t able to convert. The intense tie-break reached 14-13 after Orfi had squandered three match balls and Weaver losing one. Orfi thought she had won the match but a Yes Let was awarded. Orfi made no mistake in the next rally, winning the match in a massive 95-minute clash.
Result:
[2] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [4] Olivia Weaver (USA) 3-2: 14-12, 5-11, 7-11, 11-3, 15-13 (95m)