| |
British National Championship 2022
Men's Draw
14 - 18 June
Manchester, England |
ROUND
ONE
15 APR |
QUARTERS
16 APR |
SEMIS
17 APR |
FINAL
18 APR |
[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG)
11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (33m)
[Q] Peter Creed (WAL) |
Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG)
7-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-8 (41m)
Nick Wall (ENG) |
Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG)
11-6, 11-9, 1-11, 14-12 (47m)
James Willstrop |
Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG)
12-10, 12-10, 12-10 (67m)
Joel Makin (WAL) |
[8]
Nick Wall (ENG)
11-2, 11-4, 11-3 (22m)
Sam Todd (ENG) |
[5]
James Willstrop (ENG)
11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (29m)
[Q] Ben Smith (ENG) |
James Willstrop (ENG)
11-9, 11-5, 11-9 (32m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) |
[4]
Adrian Waller (ENG)
11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7 (49m)
Tom Walsh (ENG) |
[3]
Patrick Rooney (ENG)
9-11, 11-8, 11-2, 5-11, 11-2 (44m)
[Q] Finnlay Withington (ENG) |
Patrick Rooney (ENG)
9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 12-10 (53m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) |
Patrick Rooney
11-2, 11-8, 11-6 (50m)
Joel Makin (WAL) |
[6]
Greg Lobban (SCO)
11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7 (50m)
[Q] Miles Jenkins (ENG) |
Curtis Malik (ENG)
11-0, 11-6, 11-0 (19m)
[LL] Oscar Hill (IOM) |
Curtis Malik (ENG)
11-7, 12-10, 11-8 (43m)
Joel Makin (WAL) |
Charlie Lee (ENG)
11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (45m)
[2] Joel Makin (WAL) |
Qualifying finals:
Finnlay Withington (ENG) bt Perry Malik (ENG) 11-6, 13-11, 7-11,
11-8 (48m)
Miles Jenkins (ENG) bt Paul Broadberry (ENG) 11-9, 11-3, 11-1 (26m)
Ben Smith (ENG) bt Oscar Hill (IOM) 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 (22m)
Peter Creed (WAL) bt Connor Sheen (ENG) 11-2, 11-2, 11-4 (14m)
1st qualifying round:
Perry Malik (ENG) bye
Finnlay Withington (ENG) bye
Paul Broadberry (ENG) bt Lewis Doughty (ENG) 8-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-8
(50m)
Miles Jenkins (ENG) bt Hassan Khalil (ENG) 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 (30m)
Oscar Hill (IOM) bt Richie Fallows (ENG) w/o
Ben Smith (ENG) bt Will Salter (ENG) 16-14, 11-8, 11-7 (42m)
Connor Sheen (ENG) bt Stephen Hearst (IRL) 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 (27m)
Peter Creed (WAL) bt Hasnaat Farooqi (ENG) 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 (23m)
|
British National Championship 2022
Women's Draw
14 - 18 June
Manchester, England |
ROUND
ONE
15 APR |
QUARTERS
16 APR |
SEMIS
17 APR |
FINAL
18 APR |
[1] Emily Whitlock (WAL)
11-4, 11-4, 11-3 (25m)
Alison Thomson (SCO) |
Emily Whitlock
11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (33m)
Anna Kimberley |
Emily Whitlock
11-9, 11-6 ret. (23m)
Jasmine Hutton |
Jasmine Hutton
11-3, 11-9, 11-8 (29m)
Lucy Beecroft |
[8]
Anna Kimberley (ENG)
11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (26m)
Katie Cox (ENG) |
Alicia Mead (ENG)
w/o
[5] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) |
Alicia Mead
11-4, 11-5, 11-8 (26m)
Jasmine Hutton |
[3]
Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
12-10, 11-5, 11-7 (25m)
Katie Wells (ENG) |
[4]
Julianne Courtice (ENG)
12-14, 11-4, 12-10, 11-4 (39m)
Torrie Malik (ENG) |
Julianne Courtice
11-8, 11-7, 11-5 (26m)
Lucy Beecroft |
Lucy Beecroft
5-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-7 (58m)
Lucy Turmel |
[6] Lucy Beecroft
(ENG)
11-1, 11-6, 12-10 (23m)
Asia Harris (ENG) |
[7] Grace Gear
(ENG)
11-7, 11-3, 11-3 (17m)
Amy Royle (ENG) |
Grace Gear
11-3, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
Lucy Turmel |
Lowri Roberts (WAL)
11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (22m)
[2] Lucy Turmel (ENG) |
Finals
Elshorbagy And Hutton Claim Maiden British National
Titles In Manchester
Mohamed ElShorbagy and Jasmine Hutton have triumphed in Manchester today
as they both claimed their first British Nationals titles in front of a
packed house at the National Squash Centre.
Just a couple of weeks after switching his allegiance to England from
Egypt, World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy has secured the British National
Championship title at the first attempt, beating defending champion Joel
Makin in the final in Manchester.
ElShorbagy and Makin were doing battle for the 11th time on Tour, with
the pair having met in the final of the Manchester Open earlier this
year at the very same venue. The Welshman won on that occasion to claim
the biggest title of his professional career to date.
Makin also came in as the defending British Nationals champion, and he
started strongly, holding a 10-7 advantage in the first game. ‘The
Beast’ fought back, however, saving all three game balls before taking
the tie-break 12-10.
ElShorbagy in action
The next two games followed similar patterns, with both also going to
tie-breaks. Both men had their chances at the end of brutal rallies, but
in the end, it was ElShorbagy that came through both of them, also by
the score line of 12-10, to win in straight games, and to get his name
on the coveted trophy at the first time of asking.
“When you play Joel, before you even talk about tactics, you have to
know you are going to kill yourself on court because he is such a
warrior,” ElShorbagy said.
“We always have fantastic matches, we match up really well. Our matches
are really hard from the first point to the last point. You can see that
all three games, 12-10, they could have gone either way and I was the
lucky one!
“I have lived here for a very long time, since I was a 15-year-old kid,
since 2006. I came here as a kid to Millfield School and then to the
University of the West of England, and I have had British coaches all my
life, so it made sense for me [to switch to England]. I would like to
thank Mark Williams, the CEO of England Squash for everything!
“Paul Walters, for making it happen, and David Campion, the England
national squash coach. He was with me this week, we spoke a lot about
tactics and it as really good to match up well, to understand each
other, and as a start, we didn’t do too bad!
“ I would also like to thank my team. Hadrian [Stiff], he has been
fantastic for the past 12 years in Bristol. [Gregory] Gaultier, we
started working together two months ago. He has completely brought the
hunger back for me again, and Mark Burns, my fitness trainer, mine and
Joel’s actually, he has done a fantastic job with both of us!
“Lastly, I am very proud. First of all I am very proud to win this
title, it is a very prestigious event. All the British players, the
legends of the game have won this title, so I wanted to win this week! I
am glad it all came through. And finally, the crowd has been amazing the
whole week. Thank you so much for supporting us, you guys make it
special for us and I can’t wait to be back next year! The referees, we
give them such a hard time, so thanks to them as well!”
England’s Jasmine Hutton is the 2022 British National Championships
winner after a commanding performance from the left-hander saw her get
the better of compatriot Lucy Beecroft in straight games.
The pair had only met once on Tour before, with Beecroft having come out
the winner in the pool stages of the England Squash Super 8
Championships last year, but from the off in this encounter, Hutton was
on top form.
She executed her game plan to perfection in the opening exchanges, with
the pace of play being too much for the lower-ranked Beecroft, with
Hutton’s length hitting finding the back corners consistently.
Jasmine Hutton in action
The World No.55 showed promises in both the second and third games, even
holding a 9-6 lead in the former, but the 23-year-old Hutton had too
many weapons on the day, winning in three games to become British
Nationals champion for the first time in her career.
“She had two great wins to get here and I think she is completely
under-ranked, she is deserving to get in the top events. It won’t be
long before she gets there,” Hutton said.
“I watched her whole match yesterday, and honestly, after watching that,
I was slightly scared so, when I went 2-0 up, I told myself not to drop
the third game, to just keep pushing, keep plugging away, but thankfully
I got there!
“I have been thinking about it [the 2020 final] all day. It’s not
something I should have been thinking about before playing but I just
tried to hold my ground, and I do think that playing in 2020 helped me
because I knew what to expect. I didn’t feel as much pressure as I
thought I would today. Lucy beat me last time so I also wanted to get
revenge.
“[It’s] pretty awesome I can’t actually put it into words right now, but
yeah, It’s pretty cool!”
The last action of the 2021/22 season comes from Egypt as the PSA World
Tour Finals are taking place from June 21-26 as eight of the world’s
best men and women battle it out for one last tournament. |
Semi Finals
No.6 Seed Beecroft Produces Stunning Comeback To Reach
Nationals Final
No.6 seed and World No.55 Lucy Beecroft has produced a stunning comeback
from 2-0 down against No.2 seed Lucy Turmel to reach her first British
Nationals final.
The Northumbrian trailed Turmel by two games and faced four match balls
in the third game before completely turning the match around to take the
match 3-2 in 58-minutes to move into her first nationals final.
Turmel was in complete control of the opening two games and had Beecroft
pinned behind her in the back corners, which nullified the attacking
weapons that Beecroft has been displaying all week. Turmel earned
herself three match balls in the third game but wasn’t able to convert
which opened the door for Beecroft.
Beecroft showed no signs of slowing down after securing the third game
and continued to find amazing winners to move further ahead on the
scoreboard. The World No.55 ran straight through and set up a fifth and
final game, winning the fourth game 11-7.
The No.6 seed completed the impressive comeback by the same scoreline in
the fifth game and booked her place in her first British nationals
final. The scoreline remained tight throughout the final game but
Beecroft managed to pull ahead in the business end and convert the match
at the first time of asking. The No.6 seed was a surprised as everyone
as she spoke after her win:
“It was all or nothing for me there, I felt like the first three games,
she was completely controlling the pace and I was on the back end of
every rally and I don’t want to play like that. I tried to not focus on
the score and just play each point as it is. I tried to just leave it
all on there and my arm relaxed and the ball started to soften up which
went in my favour in the fourth and fifth, so I’m shocked.
“I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the new ball in the third but once
I got that game I thought it would open up and the first couple of
points in the game, the ball wasn’t coming out the back as much. But I’m
just really proud of sticking in that one and getting the win.
“I think the last time Jaz and I played I snuck it in four but Jaz is a
great player and I’ll have to be on my game tomorrow. I was actually
supposed to fly back to America tomorrow morning so I guess I’ll have to
change that flight.”
Beecroft’s opponent in the final will be No.3 seed Jasmine Hutton who
scored a win over the event’s No.1 seed Emily Whitlock to reach her
second nationals final.
Hutton stormed out of the gates on the hot and bouncy all-glass court in
the opening game and took the pace to the No.1 seed immediately. The
crisp hitting of Hutton was giving Whitlock no time to impose her
excellent short game and controlled lobs.
Hutton in action
After taking the opening game 11-9, Hutton continued to pile the
pressure onto the Welsh No.2 and started to move Whitlock into the front
corners more consistently to test her movement. Whitlock appeared to be
struggling with her movement in the latter stages of the game and lost
it 11-6.
Before the third game could even begin, Whitlock was unfortunately
forced to withdraw through injury, handing Hutton the victory and a
place in her second British nationals final.
In the men’s draw, both top seeds Mohamed ElShorbagy and Joel Makin have
progressed through to tomorrow’s final setting up a repeat of May’s
Manchester Open final that also took place at the National Squash
Centre.
No.1 seed ElShorbagy overcame four-time champion James Willstrop in a
difficult four-game battle to move into his first final in his maiden
appearance in the British nationals.
The former World Champion controlled the opening two games of the
encounter and used a devastating mix of pace and control to move the
tall frame of Willstrop into all four corners of the court and mop up
the loose retrieval of the Englishman.
With ElShorbagy leading 2-0, the arm of Willstrop completely relaxed and
‘The Marksman’ came to life. The undoubted skill and touch of the former
World No.1 came to full fruition as he attacked the front of the court
with superb accuracy and consistency with the score reaching an
impressive 10-0. ElShorbagy managed to score a point on the board to
avoid the dreaded ‘bagel’ but it was Willstrop who secured the third
game.
ElShorbagy in action
In what was arguably the game of the tournament, the No.1 seed closed
out the match, winning 14-12 in a quality fourth game. ElShorbagy kept
setting himself up with match balls but the Englishman wouldn’t go away
and refused to be beaten easily. After saving four match balls, another
brutal rally finished the tournament of Willstrop as the No.1 seed
booked his place in tomorrow’s final.
“I’ve never lost 11-0 in my life, so when I was 10-0 down I thought I
just had to go for it,” said ElShorbagy.
“Full respect to James, I could see from mid-way in the second game he
was getting better and better. In the third game I might have had a bit
of a lapse of concentration, but your opponent still has to be 100 per
cent focused to win every single point. It was unbelievable he stayed
focused for 10 straight points like that.
“In the fourth it was all to play for. It was such a high quality match,
and I always feel like we enjoy playing each other because there is
always good squash played fairly and in a good spirit. We played in
Mauritius last week, but that was his first tournament in ages, so you
can see he keeps getting better and better.
ElShorbagy lost out to Makin at this venue during April’s Manchester
Open and said: “Joel and I have so much respect for each other. On paper
we are the two best players in the country right now, so it’s fitting
that we are in the final to hopefully play a good quality match for the
English crowd here.”
Welshman Joel Makin has moved into his third consecutive British
nationals final after he overcame England No.2, Patrick Rooney, in
straight games.
With the hot temperature in the venue, the ball was extremely lively
throughout the match which played into the hands of the Welshman as he
moved the ball at a fast pace to the back corners to put work into the
legs of Rooney. Errors flowed from the racket of the England No.2 which
handed Makin a 1-0 lead.
This continued in the second game as Makin established a healthy lead at
8-2. From here, however, Rooney started to showcase his excellent touch
at the front of the court and strung together a flurry of winners to
level at 8-8. Makin got back to his stubborn style of play to close out
the next three points and earn a 2-0 lead.
The second game seemed to take its toll on Rooney and the streetwise
Makin recognised this and started to turn the screw in the third game.
He continued to pummel the back corners and restrict the Englishman’s
attacking opportunities to run through and take the game 11-6 and book
his place in the final.
Action continues from the British National Championships tomorrow, with
eight players looking to claim places in the finals. Play starts at
17:30 (GMT+1) live on the
SQUASHTV.
|
Quarter Finals
Four-time Champion Willstrop Upsets Seedings To Reach
Fifteenth Nationals Semi-final
Four-time British National Champion James Willstrop upset the seedings
on quarter finals night as he overcame No.4 seed and compatriot Adrian
Waller in a 33-minute 3-0 to reach the fifteenth nationals semi-final of
his career.
There was very little to separate the two in the opening game, but
Willstrop had that extra bit of control in the crucial stages to sneak a
one-game lead. The former World No.1 stamped his authority on the match
in the second game as he swiftly doubled his advantage, defending well
and attacking when the opportunity presented itself with aplomb.
Waller threatened a comeback after some intelligent play in the third
game saw him sit within a point of Willstrop at 10-9 down, but a
critical error put paid to his chances as Willstrop booked his spot in
the last four.
“At 9-9 I was saying to myself that he is very good at figuring out
these comebacks, he plays five-game matches and wins them,” said
Willstrop.
“He was absolutely brilliant at the Euros, unbelievable performances.
He’s played brilliant in Teams for us, at the World Teams in Washington
in 2019, and he’s very unique. He’s buzzing around the ’T’ and wanting
to take every volley he can, it’s such a good attack. I thought I played
those good little areas at the end of the games pretty well.
“We have a lot of mutual respect and we just got on there and played
squash. It’s weird that I’ve been on tour for 100 years and I’ve only
played my compatriot four times, which is crazy really, but it was nice
to play him tonight.”
Willstrop’s semi-final opponent will be No.1 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy who
progressed after a stern test from 22-year-old Nick Wall. The
Sheffield-based youngster tooth game to the World No.3 and surprised
ElShorbagy with his intense and aggressive play.
After taking the first game, Wall began to struggle to keep up with the
physicality of ‘The Beast’ and ElShorbagy noticed this and pounced.
ElShorbagy’s length drastically improved and he started to move the ball
into the front two corners more aggressively which spelled trouble for
Wall.
Mohamed ElShorbagy in action
Despite a spirited showing, ElShorbagy was able to close out the
remaining games 11-6, 11-2, 11-8 to take his place in his first British
nationals semi-final but was complimentary of the attitude of Wall.
“I phoned my brother this morning to find out some things about Nick as
I haven’t seen him play before and I looked on SQUASHTV at one of his
matches. He came at me in the opening game and surprised me a little bit
but that’s the kind of mentality you want to see and I loved it to be
honest. He made me angry and it made me play better but that’s the way I
was when I first came on the tour as well.
“I always go in with the mentality of trying to win each match as it
comes. I will start to think about World Tour Finals next week but
there’s no reason that if I play well here that I can’t next week as
well. As a top player, you need to play well every week so that’s what
I’m going to try and do.”
The other men’s semi-final will be played out between the No.2 and No.3
seeds in the event, Joel Makin and Patrick Rooney. Makin came through in
straight games against a tricky Curtis Malik who made the most of his
time on the Manchester glass court and troubled Makin in spells on his
way to a 3-0 defeat.
World No.21 Rooney showcased his excellent ball control to beat Scotland
No.1 Greg Lobban in a topsy-turvy four games. Rooney led 2-1 but trailed
9-2 in the fourth game and the match looked certain to move into a
decider. The England No.3 had other ideas however and started to relax
his arm and claw points back, Rooney claimed the game 12-10 to move into
his first nationals semi-final.
No.6 seed Lucy Beecroft scored a surprise win over No.4 seed Julianne
Courtice to move into her maiden British Nationals semi-final. Beecroft,
who is primarily based in the United States possesses great touch and
control at the front of the court and utilised this in the opening two
games to test the movement and fitness of Courtice.
Beecroft in action
After earning a 2-0 lead, some uncharacteristic errors crept into the
game of the Northumbrian in the early stages of the third game. But
Beecroft quickly recovered and set herself up with 5 match balls at
10-5. She only needed one attempt to secure a surprise place in the
final four.
“It’s shocking what the effects of long covid are and it showed with
Jules and it’s a year on now, all that being said I knew she’d come out
firing and can beat you in three so I wanted to get a good start and not
let her get in front as I know how dangerous she is. She beat me twice
last year and I feel like I've come a long way since then but she is
still capable of getting great results so hats off to Jules.
“I love playing on the glass. I’m lucky that where I’m based in the US,
there is a glass court so I get on there quite a bit. I was lucky to
have an easy hit this morning with ElShorbagy, just seeing the ball fly
past you. But I love playing on the glass and I'm happy to be off in
three.
“I haven’t been able to play many nationals with being in the US and in
college but it's great to be back. I’m looking forward to playing Lucy,
my fellow 305 Squash player. We had a good battle this time last year
but I’m sure it’ll be a good match.”
All the top three seeds in the women’s event came through their
respective matches in confident fashion all winning 3-0. No.1 seed Emily
Whitlock defeated England’s Anna Kimberley to open the day’s play,
Whitlock looked comfortable throughout the match and only needed 33
minutes to reach the semi-finals.
English Duo Lucy Turmel and Jasmine Hutton were just as prolific as they
defeated Alicia Mead and Grace Gear respectively to earn their places in
the final four. The later has reached a British nationals semi-final
before but explained that time on the glass court is invaluable for
progressing in the event.
“I thought she might have been a bit edgy, I don’t think she’s hit much
on this court. To get a bye isn’t always easy, I remember when I reached
the final, I had two byes and I hadn’t hit on the glass court and it was
really hard so, credit to her for playing well in the last two games.
“I play on this court a lot, I’ve been coming here since I was about 14
years old for National squads and I’ve had some good wins on this court.
I think I’m one of the few players who likes this court, it’s a lot
hotter than usual but I’m just trying to adapt to it I guess.
“It’s so rare for me to play another lefty, I’ve got a lot stronger on
my backhand so I’m happier on that side now and it’s good practice to
defend on that side. I’m really looking forward to the semi-final,
hopefully, will have the English crowd on my side and you never know
what can happen on the day.”
Action continues from the British National Championships tomorrow, with
eight players looking to claim places in the finals. Play starts at
17:30 (GMT+1) live on
SQUASHTV.
|
Round 1
No.1 Seed ElShorbagy Victorious In First British
Nationals Appearance
World No.3 and new England No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy was victorious in his
first appearance at the British National Championships, beating Wales’
Peter Creed in straight games at Manchester’s National Squash Centre.
The No.1 seed looked completely at home on the Manchester glass court as
he overcame longtime friend and training partner Peter Creed in straight
games. ElShorbagy was able to control the pace from the outset of the
match and made Creed cover a lot of ground in order to stay in the
rallies.
After securing the opening game 11-7, the World No.3 continued to work
Creed into the four corners of the court at different paces, disrupting
the rhythm that the Welsh No.3 was trying to settle into. ElShorbagy
took the following two games both 11-8 to move into the quarter finals
and capture his first win at the British Nationals. El Shorbagy had this
to say fate the match:
“Peter [Creed] was one of the first people that I knew from the first
day I came to England from Millfield School, we’ve seen each other
progress all the way so it’s quite fitting that I played one of my
Bristol training partners.
“It’s such a prestigious title to win and tournament to play. I’ve
watched all the big finals throughout the years, all of the battles
between Nick [Matthew] and James [Willstrop] and I’ve seen how much it
meant to them. It would be an honour to put my name on the trophy
alongside the great names that are already on there.
“I was struggling mentally throughout the season, it’s very important
that when you’re on top to know where your weaknesses are and when
you’re not playing well, to be honest with yourself and tell yourself
that you need changes. I phoned him up [Gregory Gaultier] and said that
I need some help and just a couple of things he said to me have made a
difference and I’m very grateful for him.
“World Tour Finals is the last event of the season and all the players
will be trying to finish on a high. I feel good with my form right now,
I’m focusing on this week and trying to put all my focus here. It means
a lot to have David [Campion] and James [Willstrop] here watching my
first match here, it really means a lot to me.”
The rest of the top four seeds will join ElShorbagy in the quarter
finals as no seeding upsets took place in the men’s draw in round one.
The closest match of the day featured two North West players, No.3 seed
Patrick Rooney and European Junior Champion Finnlay Withington.
Patrick Rooney in action
Withington showed no fear as he took the game to the World No.21 and
displayed excellent attacking flair to test the movement of Rooney.
Despite the rallies becoming increasingly dominated by Rooney,
Withington showed great resilience to keep testing his older opponent
and find winners from all areas of the court to force a fifth game.
Rooney managed to regroup and control the final game and take it 11-2 to
survive the scare and reach the next round but admitted that he
struggled to find the right tactics:
“He got in my head a little bit, I couldn’t get the tactics right
against him today, I know his game very well and I thought I had the
answers but I was doing all the wrong things. He’s got no pressure on
and his confidence is high and he started hitting his winners so I
needed to figure it out.
“I’ve been in his position of having no pressure and playing a higher
seeded player, and if you’re skilled you can get games of these players
like he shows today. I’m learning that side of the game now, having to
try and fend off players like Finn and be more structured and
disciplined but you also have to attack at the right times. But it can
be hard.
“It’s been a very good season, I think a year ago I was about 40 in the
world. So getting to a high of 20 I’m pleased, I’ve got loads of stuff
to work on and I’m looking to get towards the top 10 and further if I
can but I’m also trying to keep my feet on the ground.”
In the women's draw, it was a straight forward day for all of the top
eight seeds in the event as they all progressed through to the quarter
finals apart from No.5 seed Millie Tomlinson who was forced to withdraw
prior to her match with Alicia Mead.
No.4 seed Julianne Courtice was pushed the furthest as she battles past
18-year-old Torrie Malik in a 39 minute four games to reach the last
eight. World No.53 Courtice is renowned for her accuracy and touch at
the front of the court but was having a difficult time displaying this
against the aggressive play of Malik.
Courtice & Malik
After securing the opening game 14-12, Malik struggled to regain control
of the middle of the court and Courtice started to control proceedings,
moving her younger opponent into all four corners of the court with
great accuracy. Despite a close third game, Courtice was able to finish
off the last three games 11-4, 12-10, 11-4 to move into the third
Nationals quarter final of her career and admits it’s not easy to do so:
“She played her game better than I played mine there. She was in
position and she was making the most of it so well played and it’s
harder than it looks. I wouldn’t say I felt the most comfortable on
there but you’ve got to dig in and keep putting the ball in the right
place and eventually I did it enough so her winners happened a little
bit less.
“I think I’ve learnt the most about myself in this season more so than
any other season and it’s a battle. Not being able to play the way you
want to and backing up performances is hard. I’d like to have a good
finish to a tough season.”
Fellow Englishwomen and No.2 seed Lucy Turmel also booked her place in
tomorrow’s quarter final in convincing style by defeating Wales’ Lowri
Roberts in straight games. The World No.25 has been in terrific form
throughout this season and displayed that from the start of the match,
hitting with intent and purpose to the back of the court to set up
attacking opportunities, which she finished superbly.
After taking the first game 11-5, Turmel continued to find winners of
her own and force errors from her Welsh opponent to pull away on the
scoreboard. Roberts was able to fire in a few severe boasts to surprise
Turmel but the England No.3 was not to be denied a place in the final
eight. She took the second and third games 11-4, 11- to advance.
“I’ve seen her play before as she was a few age groups above me, but
everyone is here to win so I gave her my full respect and wanted to get
the job done.” Said Turmel.
“I think we wouldn’t have minded the top girls being in the draw so we
could play them and see where we are in comparison to them. But it’s a
good opportunity for a few of us now and I just want to see what I can
do this week.
“I had my eyes on top 20 for a while and it’s something was looking to
do this season so I’m glad I cuts do it and although I’ve dropped a bit
I feel that my level is there and hopefully next season I can push up
higher.”
Action continues from the British National Championships tomorrow, with
sixteen players looking to claim places in the semi-finals. Play starts
at 12:00 (GMT+1) live on
SQUASHTV. |
Preview
The National Squash Centre Glass Court
The 2022 British National Squash Championships will be staged at
Manchester’s National Squash Centre.
Delivered by Squash Media and Marketing (SMM), the British Nationals
will be held in Manchester for the 25th time and will see the leading
British players line up to do battle for the prestigious trophy, with
two days of qualifying between June 13-14, before four days of main draw
action, culminating in the final on June 18.
England No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry and Welshman Joel Makin will return to
defend their titles following their victories over Georgina Kennedy and
Adrian Waller, respectively, last August in Manchester.
“The British National Squash Championships is an exciting occasion and
we’re thrilled to confirm our dates for the 2022 edition of the
tournament,” said England Squash Commercial Manager Paul Walters.
“Last year’s British Nationals was a triumphant return for the
tournament following an 18-month absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
and we’re looking forward to working closely with Squash Media &
Marketing in the coming months to build on that success.”
SMM Director Alex Gough said: “We’re looking forward to being involved
once again with the British National Squash Championships. Some of the
world’s best ever players have competed at the tournament and we look
forward to showcasing their exploits on our OTT platform,
SQUASHTV,
throughout the week.”
|
Action from the British National Squash Championships will be shown live
on SQUASHTV (to
users with a free digital subscription), the England
Squash and PSA World
Tour Facebook pages, as
well as England
Squash TV .
For updates on the British National Squash Championships follow England
Squash on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. |
|