PCC Challenger Returns After 12-Year Hiatus with Thrilling Upset Final
The 2025 PCC Challenger marked a celebrated return of professional-level doubles squash to the Philadelphia Country Club, ending a 12-year break in style with dramatic comebacks, high-level play, and strong local participation.
The quarterfinals set the tone early, as top seeds Chris Longman and Sam Fenwick were given a major scare in their opening match. Down 2-0 to hometown favorites Ricky Weisskopf and Rich Dodd, Longman and Fenwick regrouped in the third game and mounted a steady comeback, eventually taking the match in five.
Local member Nick Krotec was drafted into the draw at the last minute due to a withdrawal and, despite having never met his partner before, the pair put up a strong fight, losing in three close games and earning praise from the crowd for their effort.
In the semifinals, Longman and Fenwick got off to a much stronger start, defeating Christopher Fernandez and Anderson Good in three tight games. The other semifinal featured a five-game thriller between John White and Hameed Ahmed and the pairing of David Letourneau and Chris Bown. It was a showcase of elite shot-making and gritty retrieval, with White and Ahmed emerging victorious in the deciding game.
The final looked to be heading in White and Ahmed’s favor as they took the first game and raced to a 10-4 lead in the second. But Longman and Fenwick again showed resilience, slowing the pace and extending rallies to force errors from their opponents. The shift in momentum proved decisive as the top seeds stormed back to claim the title 8-15, 15-10, 15-12, 15-12.
The return of the PCC Challenger was met with enthusiastic support from players and spectators alike, solidifying Philadelphia Country Club’s place back on the squash doubles map.