Round One : Walsh Defeats Herbert In Thriller To Make Maiden Quarter-Final

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, tournament top seed and No.2 seed Joel Makin and Mohamed ElShorbagy both booked their quarter-final spots in straight games. World No. 4 and defending champion Makin defeated Ben Smith in a commanding style, while ElShorbagy ended the run of qualifier Heston Malik in an entertaining duel, which saw the young Englishman more than play his part.

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.”

Women’s top seed Tesni Murphy, meanwhile, opened her account in dominant fashion as she raced past first-time qualifier Isabel McCullough in just 21 minutes.

Returning to the glass court on which she sustained tournament-ending injuries at the last two editions of the British Nationals, two-time champion Murphy settled well in the opening game before moving through to the quarter-finals by an 11-4, 11-4, 11-2 scoreline.

After the match, Murphy said: “It’s nice to get competing again. You just want to try and express yourself on court. My main thing this season is to just enjoy my squash again. I say it every season and every match I play – that’s what I’m about. When I relax on court, it’s so much fun.

“I said last year that my goal was to not get injured here, and that didn’t go too well! I’ve actually felt like I have played really well here over the last couple of years, but my body just gave up both times.”

Throughout the rest of the women’s draw, the seeded players dominated proceedings, with the likes of No.2 seed Georgia Adderley, No.3 seed Lucy Turmel and No.4 seed Grace Gear all claiming comfortable straight-game victories.

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: 2025 British National Squash Championships

[7] Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Emyr Evans (WAL) 3-1: 11-4, 13-11, 10-12, 11-6 (56m)

[1] Joel Makin (WAL) bt Ben Smith (ENG) 3-0: 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-2 (27m)

[6] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Bailey Malik (ENG) 3-1: 7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 (51m)

[3] Jonah Bryant (ENG) bt. Noah Meredith (ENG) 3-1: 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5 (39m)

Tom Walsh (ENG) bt. [8] Simon Herbert (ENG) 3-2: 11-7, 5-11, 14-12, 10-12, 11-9 (75m)

[4] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt. Dylan Roberts (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 (28m)

[5] Nick Wall (ENG) bt Samuel Osborne-Wylde (ENG) 3-1: 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8 (59m)

[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Heston Malik (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (32m)

Results – Women’s First Round: 2025 British National Squash Championships

[1] Tesni Murphy (WAL) bt Isabel McCullough (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-2 (21m)