England’s Tom Walsh progressed to the quarter-finals of the British National Squash Championships for the first time after edging past No.8 seed Simon Herbert in a thrilling five-game clash at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge.
In a match which left the crowd in attendance on the edge of their seats, it was Walsh, who after letting four match balls slip through his grasp in the fourth game, eventually went on to seal victory by an 11-7, 5-11, 14-12, 10-12, 11-9 scoreline.
After three-and-a-half hard-fought games, Walsh stood on the edge of victory at 10-6 up in the fourth, but Herbert came roaring back into the contest to force a fifth.
At 5-1 down in the fifth game, Walsh subsequently looked down and out, but the World No.66 rallied admirably to book a quarter-final date with No.4 seed Curtis Malik.
After the match, Walsh said: “It was a good one to win. I like to think that I put in a good summer and I found myself up match balls in the fourth, and the fourth didn’t go the way it was supposed to. In my mind, I tried to fall across it, rather than earning the right to get across it.
“At 4-0 down in the fifth game, I realised I had to put together some serious rallies to get myself back in, but I trusted myself and trusted my game. I got the head down and found a way through.
“Throughout the off-season I have put in the hours and I have put the work in. It paid off in that sense today.”
Elsewhere in the men’s event, No.2 and No.4 seeds Mohamed ElShorbagy and Curtis Malik came through their respective matches in straight games, while No.5 seed Nick Wall needed four games to get past Sam Osborne-Wylde.
ElShorbagy ended the run of qualifier Heston Malik in an entertaining three-game duel, while World No.30 Malik saw off the threat of Dylan Roberts – who had yesterday scored an upset victory over Curtis’ sibling Perry.
After kicking off his quest for a third British Nationals title with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 win, ElShorbagy said: “This is my first time playing Heston today. I have watched him a few times, but he has such a big presence on the court. He has a big forehand, his backhand is very accurate and I think there is a lot of potential in him.
“I hope he can take it to the next level. Just like my brother and I playing together in a team, it would be cool for him and Curtis and maybe even three brothers to play together, you never know.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s event, all three seeded players in the evening session progressed without fail.
Scottish No.1 and tournament No.2 seed Georgia Adderley got off to an accomplished start on the all-glass court at St George’s Hill, seeing off Olivia Owens 11-3, 11-8, 11-2 to set up a quarter-final with No.5 seed Torrie Malik.
On the prospect of potentially becoming the first Scottish player to win the British Nationals, Adderley said: “I didn’t actually know that!
“It’s a prestigious event, it’s who’s the best in Britain, which is a big thing. I would love to do well this week, but it’s just one match at a time.”
No.3 seed Lucy Turmel and No.5 seed Malik were the other two winners in the evening session as they claimed respective straight-game wins over Olivia Besant and Asia Harris.
No.7 seed Alicia Mead is the final player in the women’s quarter-finals draw. The Englishwoman received a walkover after the withdrawal of Lowri Roberts from their clash due to injury.
The quarter-finals of the British Nationals get underway tomorrow (Thursday, 28 August) at 13:00 (GMT+1). Every second of play will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.
For updates on the British National Squash Championships, visit the official tournament website or follow England Squash on Facebook and Instagram.
Results – Men’s First Round Evening Session:
Results – Women’s First Round Evening Session:
