The countdown to the 2026 British National Squash Championships is well and truly on, with the flagship event returning to St George’s Hill Lawn & Tennis Club in under a week’s time.
We’ve taken a deeper look into some of the favourites for the title come next Saturday evening.
Here are the main contenders for this year’s British Nationals crown.
Georgina Kennedy
British No.1 Georgina Kennedy will arrive at the 2026 British Nationals as top seed and title favourite after missing out on last year’s event due to injury.
The Englishwoman, who beat Sarah-Jane Perry in the 2024 final to lift her first British Nationals title, has seen her form begin trending in the right direction over the last few months following her change of coaching set-up to Rodney Martin around 12 months ago.
The World No.8 recorded back-to-back quarter-final finishes at the PSA World Championships and British Open at the back end of last season, the latter of which saw her stun World No.5 Sivasangari Subramaniam in straight games.
Can she continue this upward progression and land her second British Nationals crown?
Marwan ElShorbagy
World No.9 and tournament top seed Marwan ElShorbagy will be making his second appearance at the British Nationals this year, with his last outing at the event ending with an unfortunate injury midway through his semi-final with Joel Makin back in 2024.
The 33-year-old has the chance to put his name among a list of great players to have lifted the British Nationals title, and join his older brother Mohamed in the winners’ enclosure. Fans will want to keep an eye on a potential all-ElShorbagy battle in the latter stages of the event, with the pair having delivered some all-time battles over the years.
On his day, ‘The Jackal’ has the game to challenge anyone on the planet, and arriving as the top seed for the first time, this is as good a time as ever for ElShorbagy to add a Nationals title to his trophy cabinet.
Jasmine Hutton
After missing out on last year’s event, World No.12 Jasmine Hutton returns to her home club at St George’s Hill Lawn & Tennis Club in search of a British Nationals three-peat.
Hutton, the 2022 and 2023 champion, has moved from strength to strength on the PSA Squash Tour over the last 12 months, winning her career-biggest German Open title and now sitting on the brink of the top 10 in the PSA Rankings.
The attack-minded left-hander has played her fair share of squash on the all-glass court in Weybridge, having lifted the title there in 2022 and featuring for the St George’s Hill Knights in the Squash Super League over the previous two seasons.
On her day, Hutton can challenge the very best players in the world, and will be hoping her best squash can see her go level on title wins alongside the likes of Sarah-Jane Perry and Tesni Murphy.
Mohamed ElShorbagy
A former World No.1 and World Champion, Mohamed ElShorbagy is no stranger to winning the biggest events the sport has to offer.
Since making his first British Nationals appearance in 2022, ElShorbagy has never failed to reach the final, with his one loss at the event coming in the 2024 title decider with Joel Makin.
The two-time British National Champion is one of the most successful players to every pick up the racket, with 52 PSA Tour titles to his name, including World Championship and British Open titles. He is also the most experienced male player in the history of the game, with over 800 matches under his belt.
Simply put, ‘The Beast’ is never someone to write off.
Jonah Bryant
Rising star Jonah Bryant has taken the PSA Squash Tour by storm over the last 12 months, with the 21-year-old climbing from the fringes of the top 30 all the way to World No.10.
The Englishman reached two major semi-finals last season at the Qatar Classic and the Hong Kong Open, as well as further quarter-final finishes at the Tournament of Champions and Windy City Open.
Bryant, coached by Rob Owen, is widely regarded as a future star of the sport, but will be taking to court competitively for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury a few months ago.
If fully fit, Bryant will certainly be in the mix to clinch his first British National title next week.
Lucy Turmel
World No.28 Lucy Turmel has never progressed beyond the semi-finals of the British Nationals, but arriving as No.3 seed this year, looks well placed to take the elusive step to the title decider and compete for the title.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a strong 2025/26 season on the PSA Squash Tour, winning her first World Events title at the Bermuda Open and achieving a quarter-final finish at the Karachi Open – the first time she reached that stage of a Gold-level event.
Having been working under the guidance of 10-time British National champion Nick Matthew, Turmel will be looking to kickstart her new season in the best way possible.
Action from the 2026 British National Squash Championships will be shown live on SQUASHTV. For updates on the British National Squash Championships, visit the official tournament website or follow England Squash on Facebook and Instagram.
