It’s semi-final Saturday with four England v Rest of Great Britain matches for the St George’s crowd to enjoy. You can Watch Live on SquashTV, follow on Live Scoring and our Social Feeds, and we’ll have Reports, Reaction and Photos right here.
Makin Progresses To Final After ElShorbagy Third-Game Retirement
[2] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-1 [3/4] Marwan ElShorbagy (Eng) 11-13, 12-10, 2-0 rtd (58m)
In a 25-minute first game, Marwan ElShorbagy stayed in the rallies well as Joel Makin made the Englishman work for every rally. The pair battled to 10-10, but ElShorbagy had the edge in a decision-laden end of the game and won the game 13-11 on the tie-break.
Former World No.3 ElShorbagy was doing well to cut the rallies short, and prevent Makin from getting into the attritional rhythm that has become his winning formula.
The end of the second game saw a lot of referee interactions with two collisions between the players, the second leading to a 10-minute injury break for ElShorbagy at 10-10. Makin stayed on court throughout the hiatus to keep keep warm, and on his return ElShorbagy hit two quick tins to level the match at 1-1.
ElShorbagy retired early in game three to put Makin through to his fifth consecutive final, where he faces top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy for the third year in a row.
Speaking after the match, Makin said: “Sometimes it’s a weird mix, coming into the semis where you’ve won so convincingly that you haven’t been tested in the same way. Marwan brought some good intensity and hit his lines well at the start of the match so he got me on the back foot and I had to reassess.
On his final clash with Marwan’s brother Mohamed ElShorbagy, Makin said: “That’s the challenge. I want to be up against the best and beat the best, so I hope he’s in good form, I hope he’s had a good summer break, and I hope he’s ready for tomorrow.”
Result : Joel Makin (WAL) bt Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-1: 11-13, 12-10, 2-0 rtd (58m)
Perry Reaches Fifth British Nationals Final After Defeating In-form Whitlock
[2] Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng) 3-1 [5/8] Emily Whitlock (Wal) 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 (51m)
After a particularly brilliant start from Wales’ Emily Whitlock, scoring a drop on her first point before hitting a jumping kill shot into the front corner, she continued to create a lead in the match. Perry rallied to level at the 7-7, but too many errors crept in as Whitlock took a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second game looked to be an even contest as the pair traded points to 3-3, but Perry picked up a string of points to earn a four point advantage, and kept a gap between her and her opponent to take the game 11-8 and restore parity.
Whitlock looked even more dangerous in game three, earning a comfortable lead, but Perry made up the difference, and the two were locked into a war of attrition, as they pushed into a tie-break. Despite some amazing recoveries from the Welshwoman, Perry didn’t allow Whitlock to have a game ball, and eventually converted at 13-11.
30-year-old Whitlock led the fourth game and earned three game balls to try to equalise the match, but Perry managed to take control of the rallies and found her targets as she pushed the game to a tie-break, ultimately winning on her first match ball to claim a place in her fifth British Nationals final.
Speaking after the match, Perry said: “My 14-0 record over Emily means nothing on the day.
“The better my length was, the better her boasts were, it was ridiculous. I’ve got a few of those battles, even with Emily, under my belt and I’ve managed to come through so I just tried to keep my head down and focus on what I had to do.
“Ther’ll be a more comprehensive tactical plan against Gina than some other matches to try and combat some of her super strengths, which are very super.
“She’s been saying how much she wants to win her first national title, and I’d love to win my fourth so we’ll see who comes out on top of that battle tomorrow.”
Result: Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (WAL) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 (51m)
Defending Champion Downs Lobban To Reach Third Final In A Row
Top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy defeated Scotland’s Greg Lobban to reach his third consecutive British Nationals Final.
ElShorbagy had a strong start to the match, scoring unopposed to take a 6-0 lead but the Scotsman rallied back to level at 8-all. The Englishman managed to see out the game and took the lead.
ElShorbagy seemed to hit his stride in game two, as he took control of the court, pulling the fourth seed around the court as he surged to 11-2 and one game away from his third consecutive final.
The third game was the most competitive of the match, as Lobban pushed hard to trouble the defending champion, but it wasn’t enough as ElShorbagy secured the game 11-9 to claim victory.
Speaking after the match, ElShorbagy: “I have so much respect for him. He’s such a clever player. the way he uses his counters. I had to be weary of that.
“I’m going to give it my all tomorrow. To be here for the third time in a row is such an honour. I would love to win for a third time in a row. So let’s go do it tomorrow.”
Result: Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 (34m)
Kennedy Through After Murphy Retirement
[1] Gina Kennedy (Eng) 3-1 [3/4] Tesni Murphy (Wal) 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 2-1 rtd (32m)
Top seed Georgina Kennedy progressed to the British Nationals finals after Wales’ Tesni Murphy retired at the start of the fourth game.
Murphy looked relaxed on the court, comfortably taking the ball in short throughout the first game. The Welshwoman looked aggressive and took the game to take an early lead in the match.
Kennedy put pressure on Murphy from the first rally of the second game, and pushed the two-time champion throughout the game, levelling 11-2.
The Welsh No.1 requested a three-minute injury break, but John Massarella denied the request. Kennedy quickly saw out her lead, and repeated the feat in game three, before Murphy retired at the beginning of the fourth game to put Kennedy through to the British Nationals final.
Speaking after the match, Kennedy said: “[At] 3-2 in the first game, I thought I saw her pull up a bit, and I was thinking ‘Is she alright?’. First and foremost, Tesni [Murphy] is one of my best friends on tour so I find it really difficult, not just because she’s a phenomenal squash player, but also because we’ve got such a good relationship.
“She was struggling so much, just based on what happened last year, but on the other side she’s so skilful, so if I didn’t play throughout, she could just roll of amazing shots. The last thing I wanted her to do was hurt herself.
“After that first game, she was unplayable so it’s such a shame because it could’ve gone either way.”
Result: Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Tesni Murphy (WAL) 3-1: 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 2-1 ret. (32m)
