It’s semi-finals day at the British National Squash Championships 2025, with four blockbuster matches coming your way from St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge.
Squash fans can watch all the action from the glass court today LIVE on SQUASHTV.
Read below for match reports and reaction from all four matches.
Two-Time Champion Murphy Defeats Gear In Three
Top seed Tesni Murphy advanced to her fourth British Nationals final after ending the run of No.4 seed Grace Gear in three games at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club.
Murphy, the 2018 and 2019 champion, ensured her quest for a third title continued following an impressive 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 win over 27-year-old Gear.
Gear started the match brightly, finding joy with straight kills into the front left corner of the court. However, as the first progressed, Murphy began to find her accuracy down the side walls, opening the court up and using her deception to great effect when high up on the court.
The Welshwoman moved away from 8-8 to take the opener with three straight points.
The momentum continued to shift in Murphy’s favour early in the second, with the top seed finding her marks and racing into a 5-0 lead. Gear responded valiantly to this early deficit, levelling the second at 9-9, but an inaccurate two points from the No.4 seed saw Murphy move through to double her lead.
The match became a little scrappy as it entered the third game, with a number of refereeing decisions punctuating a stop-start conclusion to the match.
However, it was Murphy who ultimately proved too strong, getting ahead early on the scoreboard and subsequently moving through to the final with an 11-4 win.
After the match, Murphy said: “I was having so much fun on court today. I know Grace really well and we’ve had two matches in the last year which have been really, really close. So I wanted to come out here today and try and put on a really good performance here on the glass court. I think I did that, so I enjoyed it. It was fun.
“I think I’m at a cool phase of life where I love my squash, but it’s not everything anymore. I love it and I want to win, but if I don’t, it doesn’t change anything when I go home.
“I just try to think, if I only have a couple more years left on tour, then I just want to enjoy it. That has freed my body up a little bit.”
Result:
[1] Tesni Murphy (WAL) bt [4] Grace Gear (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 (37m)
Makin Prevails Past Bryant In Brutal Four-Game Duel
Two-time champion Joel Makin booked his spot in the final of the British Nationals after coming through a hard-fought four-game duel with up-and-coming English star Jonah Bryant.
In a high-quality match which was full of superb squash from both players, it was Makin who eventually prevailed by a 6-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 scoreline.
No.3 seed Bryant flew out of the blocks with some sublime quality, switching up the pace nicely and firing into the front two corners with great accuracy when the opportunity presented itself.
The 20-year-old managed to force Makin into regular deep lunges into the front two corners with his accurate play, moving through to take the 18-minute opening game by an 11-6 scoreline.
The inevitable Makin response came in the second game, with the World No.4 far more proactive in his stroke play and reframing his gameplan to great effect. The Welshman barely gave Bryant an opening as he powered through the second game 11-2 to level the match after 30 minutes of play.
After a testing start to the third game, which saw the players locked in at 5-5, it was Makin who applied a barrage of physical pressure through a series of well-constructed rallies to edge ahead. After a two-minute-plus rally went the way of Makin, a couple of cheap errors from the racket of Bryant subsequently saw the Welshman take six straight points to move 2-1 up.
The fourth game followed a similar pattern, with Makin getting the slight drop-off from Bryant towards the latter stages of the game. From an early 6-2 lead, the Welshman moved through to his sixth consecutive final at the British Nationals.
After the match, Makin said: “He [Jonah Bryant] brought some skill level, he’s got elastic speed, he’s quick into the front and he’s dangerous. He’s a nice lad and he’s going to be a problem as he gets older, but for now I’m going to keep dragging him into deep water and make it miserable for him as much as I can!
“I found a bit of a gap as the match went on, but I enjoyed that with him, he’s a good lad and there were probably five decisions and none were contentious, moving around each other, all four corners – you can’t complain.
“It’s been a curse for Tesni [Murphy] coming back here, she’s been injured every year so it would be nice to see her get a win. She’s back in form, tricky, skilful and good to watch so hopefully people will enjoy that tomorrow and get another win. Personally it’s a nice thing to win, especially doing a first of something.”
Result:
[1] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [3] Jonah Bryant (ENG) 3-1: 6-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (66m)
Malik Battles Back To Reach Maiden British Nationals Final
No.5 seed Torrie Malik continued her superb run at the British Nationals 2025 after fighting back from 2-1 down to defeat No.7 seed Alicia Mead.
Malik, who with victory progressed to her maiden final at the British Nationals, will face top seed Tesni Murphy for the coveted title in tomorrow’s final after claiming a 12-14, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3 victory over Mead.
The two contrasting styles of the players were evident in the early stages, with left-handed Mead looking to introduce angles and bring Malik stretching into the front corners, with Malik using her hitting power to open up the court for herself.
The pair traded two evenly fought opening games, which saw momentum swing in each player’s direction, with the match tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.
Despite Mead not having featured at all in the British Nationals this week, after receiving Walkovers in her previous two matches against Lucy Turmel and Lowri Roberts, the No.7 seed continued to impress on the all-glass court, putting away any loose balls and moving 2-1 up.
Malik bounced back in the fourth game, rediscovering her accuracy into the front two corners, and hitting well beyond Mead with some tight lines down both wings. The 21-year-old won six of the last seven points in the game to take the match to a deciding game.
From there, the World No.43 only moved from strength to strength, carrying this momentum through to the deciding game, which she controlled from the outset.
After sealing an 11-5 win in the final game, Malik said: “She [Alicia Mead] played really well and coming into a semi-final match [without playing due to injury withdrawals] is never easy without that because you’re not going to have that momentum.
“She was match ready anyway, though, she played really well and I had to make sure I was focused. I was a little bit tired in that third game, but then I found myself but then brought it back to 2-2 in that third game and I felt like I was moving better.
“It’s very exciting, it’s really cool [the potential of a Malik sibling double tomorrow]. To have my brothers alongside me as well as my mum and dad, it’s nice that we’re all here together and hopefully he gets the W today.”
Result:
[5] Torrie Malik (ENG) bt [7] Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-2: 12-14, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3 (50m)
Wall Mounts Stunning Comeback To Defeat Malik
No.5 seed Nick Wall mounted a dramatic comeback as he came from 2-0 down, saving a match ball in both the fourth and fifth games to defeat Curtis Malik and reach the British Nationals final.
Wall, who looked down and out after two games, delivered an incredibly gutsy performance to eventually come away with the win by a 3-11, 8-11, 11-7, 15-13, 12-10 scoreline.
Right from the outset Malik found his marks, hitting crisp lines and lengths and forcing Wall into a number of uncharacteristic errors across the opening two games.
Left-handed No.5 seed Wall, who was playing on the glass court for the first time this event after receiving a walkover in the previous round, struggled to match the relentless accuracy of Malik, falling 2-0 down 17 minutes of play.
The match turned on it’s head in the third though, with Wall beginning to find his margins at the front of the court and, as a result, forcing Malik into some tough movements across all four corners of the court.
The 25-year-old clinched the third game 11-7, before moving into a swift 3-0 lead in the fourth, as he began to move around the court with a spring in his step.
The pair traded points deep into the fourth, and after saving a match ball, it was Wall who came through a scrappy tie-break by a 15-13 scoreline.
The match continued in the same fashion as it entered a thrilling fifth, with traffic a continuing problem, and the video referee being called into action on numerous occasions.
Malik saw a second match ball slip through his grasp at 10–9 up, before Wall pounced with a forehand winner on his first opportunity to seal victory, setting up a final with top seed Joel Makin.
After the match, Wall said: “I wasn’t thinking too much about Curtis [Malik] in that match at all. I was very frustrating in those first two games, I literally couldn’t keep the ball out of the tin, I wasn’t getting the ball deep and I wasn’t getting any of the basics right.
“Even my serve throughout the match, especially in the fifth, it wasn’t where it needs to be. Curtis is always a tough opponent and I thought he played really well in those first two. Credit to him – he didn’t let me settle into the match and I haven’t had a match on this court this week either which I didn’t feel too good about in the first game.
“After those first two I said I’m going to let go of my ego, not worry about my squash and just try and battle it out and not give him six tins a game at least!
“I’ve not played my best squash today but I’m sure it’ll be better tomorrow because it’ll have to be.”
Result:
[5] Nick Wall (ENG) bt [4] Curtis Malik (ENG) 3-2: 3-11, 8-11, 11-7, 15-13, 12-10 (79m)
