FS Investments and SquashSmarts Kick Off U.S. Open With Ceremonial First-Ball

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Vincent Amatulli (left) and Nabilla Ariffin (right) are this year’s honorary First-Hit representatives.

The 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships started up today at Drexel University in Philadelphia. All the excitement kicked off with its classic first-ball ceremony. This year’s honorary representatives were Vincent Amatulli and Nabilla Ariffin.

Vincent Amatulli is the Chief Technology and Operations Officer from FS Investments, the returning title sponsor of the 2019 U.S. Open. Amatulli said that FS Investments is proud to return as title sponsors, and that the squash fans will see throughout the day will be “much better” than his own. This was followed by his first hit which Nabilla Ariffin had no problem returning.

Ariffin is a Community Impact Director at SquashSmarts, the award-winning urban squash and education program that is the official community partner of the U.S. Open. Originally from Penang, Malaysia, Ariffin has been a part of SquashSmarts since September 2016. She was also a top competitor as an international junior squash player and All-American at the University of Pennsylvania.  More recently she’s joined the Women’s Squash Doubles Association tour, rising to as high as No. 13. At SquashSmarts she has focused on empowering youth and building partnerships, from civic to educational to corporate, across the region. She is a leader with the International Youth Federation as a director for its bureau of sports and as a member of Cohort 2030, its global youth-led initiative focused on delivering the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

FS Investments and SquashSmarts work closely together on local community outreach. FS Investments is a leading asset manager dedicated to helping individuals, financial professionals and institutions design better portfolios. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the firm provides access to alternative sources of income and growth and focuses on setting industry standards for investor protection, education and transparency.

Founded in 1954, the FS Investments U.S. Open is one of the oldest professional squash tournaments in the world. Since 2011 Drexel has hosted the tournament at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in University City.