Illingworth is Inaugural U.S. Pro Series Champion

American squash No. 1 Julian Illingworth, the highest ranked American squash player of all-time, has topped the 2013 U.S. Pro Squash Series, winning the top prize of $5,000.

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The eight-time U.S. National Champion from Portland edged New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson and Pakistan’s Farhan Zaman, who finished second and third, respectively, to the title as a result of picking up 545 points from six events.

Victory at the Las Vegas Open combined with quarterfinal berths at the Houston Open and NY Metro Open and last sixteen spots at Indian Summer and Charlottesville Challenger secured the title for the New York based player.

“Winning the first ever U.S. Pro Series is a big honor and I’m delighted to have topped the rankings this year,” said Illingworth.

“This series has had a big impact on the North American squash circuit and I look forward to returning to the court in 2014 to defend this title.”

The U.S. Pro Squash Series includes events ranging from $5,000 to $70,000 in prize money, at which players earn points towards their U.S. Pro Squash Series Ranking and after a successful debut year, the series is set to become even bigger in 2014.

“The 2013 calendar topped out this year with sixteen events, across twelve States, with over $300,000 in prize money,” said US Squash Vice President Conor O’Malley.

“With the first year of the US Pro Series coming to a close, it’s safe to say it’s been tremendously successful and already there are commitments for new events in great squash markets to come onto the 2014 calendar, meaning more squash fans will enjoy the tremendous squash being played on the Tour.

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“For many years now, Julian has certainly distinguished himself as one of the most successful players in North American on the tour and earning the No. 1 ranking on the U.S. Pro Series is another testament of his achievements.

“We are very pleased and proud for the first year of the Pro Series to see an American top the rankings and look forward to building on the success of the series in 2014.”successful players in North American on the tour and earning the No. 1 ranking on the U.S. Pro Series is another testament of his achievements.