Top seeds Georgina Kennedy and Marwan ElShorbagy made comprehensive starts to their 2026 British National Squash Championships title quests on a day in which 15 of the 16 seeded players claimed victories at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge.
The one upset of the day came from Scotland’s John Meehan, who produced a standout performance to defeat No.8 seed Ben Smith in an absorbing five-game battle.
England No.1s Kennedy and ElShorbagy, though, were largely untroubled in their first-round encounters against Alison Thomson and Heston Malik, both progressing by 3-0 scorelines. Kennedy saw off Thomson 11-4, 11-6, 11-1 in just 27 minutes, while ElShorbagy defeated Malik 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 after 34 minutes of play.
Kennedy will now face No.5 seed Grace Gear for a place in the semi-finals, while ElShorbagy takes on No.7 seed Rhys Evans.
Elsewhere on day one of action, former World No.1 Mohamed moved one step closer to a potential blockbuster all-ElShorbagy title decider in Weybridge. The former World No.1 began his quest for a third British Nationals title in dominant fashion, defeating up-and-coming English star Dylan Roberts 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.
Home club favourite and two-time champion Jasmine Hutton also made a flying start, requiring just 25 minutes to see off Wales’ Ellie Breach by an 11-5, 11-6, 11-8. The No.2 seed will face off against No.8 seed Millie Tomlinson in Thursday’s quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, action on the traditional court produced plenty of drama, with Rhys Evans continuing his fine recent form to edge out Bailey Malik in five games, and Grace Gear holding off a late comeback from Olivia Owens to clinch victory in a 11-7 deciding game.
Unseeded Meeham, meanwhile, came through a brutal 81-minute contest against No.8 seed Smith, holding his nerve to advance to the quarter-finals by an 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 scoreline.
The quarter-finals of the British National Squash Championships 2026 get underway at 13:00 on Thursday, 27th August. Every second of action 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 RD1
[1] Marwan ElShorbagy (Eng) bt Heston Malik (Eng) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (34m)[7] Rhys Evans (Wal) bt Bailey Malik (Eng) 3-2: 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6 (83m)
[4] Sam Todd (Eng) bt Oliver Tate (Eng) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (33m)
John Meehan (Sco) bt [8] Ben Smith (Eng) 3-2: 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 (81m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Eng) bt Dylan Roberts (Eng) 3-2: 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (38m)
[6] Perry Malik (Eng) bt Kylen Calder (Eng) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 (22m)
[3] Curtis Malik (Eng) bt Ismail Khalil (Eng) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (30m)
[5] Simon Herbert (Eng) bt Jake Sim-Baskar (Eng) 3-0: 11-3, 11-2, 11-7 (27m)
Results: Women’s RD1
[1] Gina Kennedy (Eng) bt Alison Thomson (Sco) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-1 (27m)[5] Grace Gear (Eng) bt Olivia Owens (Eng) 3-2: 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-7 (46m)
[4] Torrie Malik (Eng) bt Robyn McAlpine (Sco) 3-0: 13-11, 11-5, 11-8 (32m)
[6] Saran Nghiem (Eng) bt Isabel McCullough (Eng) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (30m)
[3] Lucy Turmel (Eng) bt Olivia Besant (Eng) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (20m)
[7] Alicia Mead (Eng) bt Katie Malliff (Eng) 3-1: 9-11, 13-11, 12-10, 15-13 (46m)
[2] Jasmine Hutton (Eng) bt Ellie Breach (Wal) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (25m)
[8] Millie Tomlinson (Eng) bt Amelie Haworth (Eng) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-7 (31m)
Draw: Men’s Quarter-Finals
[1] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG) v [7] Rhys Evans (WAL)John Meehan (SCO) v [4] Sam Todd (ENG)
[6] Perry Malik (ENG) [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG)
[3] Curtis Malik (ENG) v [5] Simon Herbert (ENG)
Draw: Women’s Quarter-Finals
[1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) v [5] Grace Gear (ENG)
[6] Saran Nghiem (ENG) v [4] Torrie Malik (ENG)
[3] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v [7] Alicia Mead (ENG)
[8] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [2] Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
