The 2025 British National Squash Championships get underway tomorrow, with 51 players arriving at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge in search of the coveted titles.
Qualifying takes place tomorrow from 11:30am, with four players from both the men’s and women’s events progressing to the main draw, which will begin on Wednesday, 27 August. Every second of play from both the qualifying stage and the main draw will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.
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For the third consecutive year, the British Nationals will be held at St George’s Hill, with an all-glass court and a glass-back side court in use throughout the five days of action.
Returning to defend their titles will be British No.1s Georgina Kennedy and Joel Makin, both of whom have been named as top seeds in their respective draws. [update : Gina Kennedy w/d, Tesni Murphy becomes women’s top seed]
World No.9 Kennedy claimed her first British Nationals title last year after defeating Sarah-Jane Perry in a hard-fought four-game final – reversing the scoreline from the women’s final three years prior to that. Makin, meanwhile, will be eying a third title at the British Nationals after last year overcoming Mohamed ElShorbagy in a thrilling five-game encounter.
World No.4 Makin has been playing some of the squash of his life over the last 12 months, most recently, capturing his first major title on tour at the PSA Squash Tour Finals – an event in which he defeated both World No.2 Diego Elias and World No.1 Mostafa Asal. The Welshman will hope to reach his sixth consecutive final at the British Nationals, but standing in his way will be the likes of Mohamed ElShorbagy, as well as up-and-coming English talent Jonah Bryant.
No.2 seed ElShorbagy, meanwhile, will hope to win his third British Nationals crown from four appearances and overturn his defeat to Makin in last year’s final. The Englishman is seeded to face 3/4 seed Curtis Malik in the semi-finals.
One name to keep an eye on will be 20-year-old Bryant, who has only moved from strength to strength since making his debut in the qualifying stage of the event last year. Now ranked at a career-high World No.26, Bryant can be found in the same half of the draw as Makin and the same quarter as Patrick Rooney. Other top eight seeds in the men’s draw include England duo Adrian Waller and Nick Wall.
Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, Kennedy will be looking to claim back-to-back titles at the British Nationals. The London-based 28-year-old is currently ranked at World No.9 in the women’s rankings and will arrive as one of the heavy pre-tournament favourites.
No.2 seed in the women’s draw is two-time champion Tesni Murphy – winner of the event in 2018 and 2019. In 2023, Murphy was forced to retire in the fifth game of her final with Jasmine Hutton, while withdrawing in similar circumstances last year when well-placed in her semi-final with Georgina Kennedy. The Welshwoman has been named in the same half of the draw as England 3/4 seed Lucy Turmel, the current World No.23.
Scottish No.1 Georgia Adderley, meanwhile, has been named as the other 3/4 seed in the women’s draw. The 24-year-old will be looking to tread new ground and better her quarter-final finishes from the 2023 and 2024 British Nationals.
Elsewhere, top-eight-seeded Torrie Malik, Alicia Mead, Emily Whitlock and Grace Gear will all be looking to start their 2025/26 seasons with strong runs this week.
For more updates on the 2024 British National Squash Championships, visit the tournament website or follow England Squash on X, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.
