Rankings beater Sam Todd makes hay at Chicago Open squash

As a wildcard and non seed, Britain’s Sam Todd will certainly remember the last three weeks after the Briton claimed two successive titles in North America.

At the weekend, Todd continued his remarkable return to PSA Squash Tour action with a stunning victory as a wild card at The Lifetime Sam Todd2025 by The Litowitz Family. 

Eight of 10 games also came without conceding a game. You could say that Todd is back to form as he aims to rise up the PSA rankings.

The 21-year-old missed almost two years of action through injury, but made his return to Challenger event action in January, winning the 3k Gas City ProAm 2025. 

This event, a 15k in the Windy City, was a different level entirely, though, with a host of top 100 players, including No.1 seed Karim El Hammamy and former World No.22 Moustafa Elsirty.

Even before his untimely injury, Todd had a highest world ranking of No.66 in the world, but showed last week that he has a ceiling well beyond that. 

Showcasing a playing style similar to that of his long-time coach James Willstrop, Todd eased past Malaysia’s Mohammad Syafiq Kamal in round one before finding himself with a tough second-round matchup against Elsirty, winner of the last 15k to take place on the PSA Tour before this one. 

But Todd promptly sunk the Egyptian in three, putting in a particularly dominant display in game two, which he won 11-3. 

He then cruised past Abdelrahman Nassar – his opponent in the Gas City final 14 days earlier – in the quarter-finals, and came from behind to get the better of Colombia’s Matias Knudsen in the semis. 

That set up a final showdown with World No.44 Karim El Hammamy, a player who has not been outside the world’s top 50 since July 2021 and who was an opponent 200 ranking places higher than Todd.

But once again the Pontefract native showed his class, running out a 3-1 winner to secure his biggest career title, moving him up 111 places in the world rankings.