The 2025 NYC Open, hosted by the University Club of New York, delivered another thrilling weekend of professional women’s squash doubles. With a $20,000 prize purse, the joint largest on the women’s tour, the ninth edition of the event, first held in 2015, remains one of the most prestigious and longest-running tournaments on the women’s circuit. The University Club of New York, one of the largest adult squash programs in the world, has a long and proud tradition of supporting both professional and amateur doubles. The club founded the Collegiate Doubles Tournament before it outgrew the confines of the 10th floor and annually hosts the unique O’Reily ProAm as well as the US Squash Century Doubles. With head pro Travis Judson and squash chair Bill Cline overseeing the weekend, the tournament showcased the club’s exceptional female membership and an exciting mix of established champions and rising stars.
The draw featured defending champions Georgina Stoker and Lauren West, seeded second, while home favorite Kayley Leonard and her partner, Canadian Nikki Todd led the field as the top seeds. The lineup also included UCNY members Maire Victoire Wickers and Taryn Clary, Penn alumni Jess Davies and Lindsay Stanley, new pairing Caroline Spahr and Emily Rose, and wildcard team Tara Harrington and Haley Dewey, providing the crowd with plenty of homegrown talent. The squash committee supporting the event included Bill Cline, Lisa Mui, Josh Epstein, Michael LeBlanc, Aaron Horwitz, Rachel Leizman, and Robert Gibralter.
Early rounds produced dramatic matches. Wickers and Clary nearly pulled off a shock against higher seeded Laila Sedky and Menna Masser, leading two games to one and 14-11 in the fifth before a string of unforced errors allowed Sedky and Masser to win the match. In the bottom half, Spahr and Rose, former Princeton teammates, fought back from two games to one down against the more experienced Lily Taylor and Ineta Hopton, taking the fifth to 15-11 before falling short. After such a strong showing in their first SDA event together, the performance established them as a team to watch in the future. Rising stars Rachel Mashek and Olivia Walsh also pushed third seeds Meredeth Quick and Line Hansen to the limit, with Quick and Hansen coming back from two games to one down to advance to their first semifinal as a pair.
The semifinals showcased the best of women’s pro doubles. Top seeds Leonard and Todd defeated fourth seeds Jess Davis and Jackie Moss quickly, while Quick and Hansen produced a gripping win over Stoker and West, the Philadelphia Open champions. Quick and Hansen took the first two games 15-14, allowed Stoker and West an easier third game, and then regained control in the fourth. Quick dominated the left wall and won crucial cross court exchanges with West, leaving Stoker isolated in the back left. The win secured Quick’s fifth NYC Open final, having won the event four times previously. Ahead of this match, Stoker, who had won the first two events of the season and was on track to reach number one in the rankings.
In the final, top seeds Leonard and Todd proved dominant, winning in three. Leonard displaying her new found consistency with very few errors and numerous winners powered her team to victory. Todd captured her first NYC Open title and second win of the season, having previously won the Maryland Club Open with Stoker. Leonard claimed her first win of the season and second career NYC Open title. The victory also propelled Kayley Leonard to the number one spot in the SDA rankings, cementing her position as the top female doubles player in the country.
The 2025 NYC Open highlighted the strength of the University Club of New York’s female membership and the programs commitment to showcasing women’s squash at the highest level.