Top seeds Joel Makin and Tesni Murphy have lifted their third British National Squash Championship titles after claiming respective wins over Nick Wall and Torrie Malik on finals day at St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge.
World No.4 Makin, competing in his sixth straight final at the British Nationals, defended the coveted title following a straight-games win over No.5 seed Wall, while Murphy got her 2025/26 season off to the perfect start with a four-game victory over No.5 seed Malik.
The first match of the afternoon saw Murphy and Malik meet for the first time in their careers, and despite the gulf in experience, 21-year-old Malik continually pushed the Welshwoman all the way to the finish line.
Murphy raced into a 2-0 lead with some smart use of her trademark hold and deception, but saw Malik come roaring back into the contest with some fantastic hitting down both wings.
The subsequent fourth game went all the way to the wire, with Malik saving two Championship Balls, but it was ultimately Murphy who proved too strong, moving through to take the title by an 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9 scoreline.
After the match, Murphy said: “I’m glad I’m a bit older so there might not be many more chances that we’ll get to play, but I got to sneak the win today.
“I thought it was a good match, she [Torrie Malik] has got so many weapons, it’s scary to play and you’re always on edge. I’m sure this is just the beginning for what’s to come for Torrie – a great prospect for the UK and England and I wish her all the best as I’m sure this won’t be the last final she’ll be in and I’m sure she’ll win many more.”
Meanwhile, in the men’s final, top seed Makin finished off a near-faultless week of squash with an 11-4, 12-10, 11-3 win over England’s Wall.
Arriving into the final on the back of a high-quality victory over up-and-coming star Jonah Bryant, Makin picked up where he left off against World No.42 Wall, dominating with his relentless accuracy throughout the match.
Despite a level-pegging second game, which saw Wall force a tie-break with some impressive attacking squash, Makin stood firm to edge that crucial moment in the match and power through to victory after 43 minutes of play.
After the match, Makin said: “These guys are coming in as a bit of a free bet. It doesn’t mean I don’t think they can win, but all the pressure is off, and they can be really disruptive, which he [Nick Wall] was. He’s got a lot of good skills about him: heavy ball striker, clean hitter, he created a lot of pressure in the second game, and I had to revert back to what I was doing well, which was hitting my spots and finding my positions around the middle. It wasn’t straightforward.
“I think this tournament has got a lot of history to it and I like to be a part of that. I think it’s important we keep it going and hopefully the players going forward after I’ve finished, they’ll carry on and keep the level high and put their names in amongst it as well.”
Result – Women’s Final: British National Squash Championships 2025
[1] Tesni Murphy (WAL) bt [5] Torrie Malik (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9 (45m)
Result – Men’s Final: British National Squash Championships 2025
[1] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [5] Nick Wall (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 12-10, 11-3 (43m)