No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry battled past a resilient Emily Whitlock to reach her fifth British Nationals final and No.1 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy also progressed to his third consecutive final.
On a day where two matches finished with retirements, the third semi-final of the day saw three-time champion Perry face Wales No.2 Whitlock, who knocked out defending champion Jasmine Hutton in a shock quarter-final result.
Whitlock started well, leading throughout the first game. Perry rallied to level the scoring at 7-7, but too many errors crept in as Whitlock took a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second game looked to be an even contest as the pair traded winners to 3-3, but Perry picked up a string of points to earn a four-point advantage, and maintained a gap between her and her opponent to take the game 11-8 and restore parity in the match.
Whitlock looked even more dangerous in game three and took a quick lead, but Perry made up the difference, and the two were inseparable as they pushed into a tie-break. Despite some amazing recoveries from the Welshwoman, Perry didn’t allow Whitlock to have a game ball, and eventually converted at 13-11.
The World No.31 earned three game balls to try and equalise the match in game four, but Perry managed to push the game to the match’s second tie-break, ultimately winning on her first match ball to claim a place in her fifth British Nationals final.
Speaking after the match, Perry said: “[my 14-0 record over Whitlock] means nothing on the day.
“The better my length was, the better [Whitlock’s] boasts were, it was ridiculous. I’ve got a few of those battles, even with Emily [Whitlock], under my belt and I’ve managed to come through so I just tried to keep my head down and focus on what I had to do.”
On tomorrow’s final clash with England No.1 Georgina Kennedy, Perry said: “They’ll be a more comprehensive tactical plan [against Kennedy] than some other matches to try and combat some of Gina [Kennedy]’s super strengths, which are very super. She’s been saying how much she wants to win her first nationals title, and I’d love to win my fourth so we’ll see who comes out on top of that battle tomorrow.”
In the first men’s match of day four, No.1 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy defeated Scotland’s Greg Lobban to reach his third consecutive British Nationals Final.
The World No.8 had a positive opening game, pushing ahead quickly and converting the first game 11-9 despite a late fightback from the Scotsman. ElShorbagy took control in game two, pulling the No.4 seed around the court as he surged to 11-2 and came one game away from his third consecutive final.
The third game was the most competitive of the match, as Lobban pushed hard to trouble the defending champion, but it wasn’t enough as ElShorbagy secured the third game 11-9 to claim victory over the Scotsman.
Speaking after the match, ElShorbagy: “I have so much respect for him. He’s such a clever player. the way he uses his counters. I had to be weary of that.
“I’m going to give it my all tomorrow. To be here for the third time in a row is such an honour. I would love to [win] for a third time in a row. So let’s go do it tomorrow.”
The first and last matches of the day saw No.1 seed Georgina Kennedy and No.2 seed Joel Makin progress after injuries to Tesni Murphy and Marwan ElShorbagy forced an early end to both matches. Marwan ElShorbagy and Murphy both won the first game of their matches, but picked up their respective injuries in game two before retiring early in the third game.
The women’s results mean a repeat of the 2021 final, in which Perry beat Kennedy in four games, while ElShorbagy and Makin face each other in the final for the third consecutive time, with Makin yet to overcome the former World No.1 in the competition.
Results – Semi-Finals: 2024 British National Squash Championships
Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Tesni Murphy (WAL) 3-1: 8-11, 11-2, 11-4, 2-1 ret. (32m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-9 (34m)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (WAL) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 (51m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-1: 11-13, 12-10, 2-0 rtd (58m)
Schedule – Finals: 2024 British National Squash Championships
17.30 – [1] Gina Kennedy (Eng) v [2] Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng)
18.30 – [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Eng) v [2] Joel Makin (Wal)