We report an experimental realization of a highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber as a result of compressing a regular hexagonal structure. The experimental measurements estimate a group birefringence of approximately 5.5x10(-3) at 1550 nm in good agreement with the numerical results. We study the influence of compressing the regular structure at different directions and magnifications, obtaining a method to realistically enhance the phase birefringence while moderating the group birefringence.