Whitlock Shocks Defending Champion To Reach British Nationals Semis

Emily Whitlock scored the first British National Championships seeding upset at St George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club in Weybridge when the Welsh No.2 stunned England's two-time champion Jasmine Hutton to reach the semi-finals.

In the opening match of the evening session, Whitlock looked sharper than the 3/4 seed as she controlled the tempo and, despite Hutton finding her targets in the latter stages of the game, held firm to take a 1/0 lead.

Hutton had the edge in game two as the she levelled the score at one-all, but the world No.31 kept her composure throughout the third and fourth games and continued to play pin-point accurate squash. The 2019 runner-up won the match with a lob to claim victory over the defending champion.

Speaking after the match, Whitlock said: "I managed to keep my head when it was a bit nip-and-tuck. I could've done better mentally [in game two], but it's 11 scoring, as soon as you let a few rallies go, it's just gone.

"She plays at a fast pace. I don't like playing at a fast pace. I like taking my time. I lift, I change the pace. It's not anything I would do specifically for Jasmine. I just play how I like to play."

On her semi-final match-up with No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry, the Welshwoman - who has never beaten the English woman in 14 matches since 2009 - said, "I haven't played her for almost a year now. It would be nice to play her again and see the comparisons."

In another exciting contest, No.3 seed Marwan ElShorbagy reached the semi-finals on his debut British Nationals appearance after defeating world No.50 Declan James.

It was a close-fought first game. James earned game balls at 10-9 and 11-10, but the former world No.3 took the game after his opponent gave away some quick-fire points. James was dominant in game two and quickly accumulated points to restore parity in the match.

ElShorbagy looked a lot more aggressive in the third game, placing his shots well and managing to keep James moving throughout the rallies to retake the lead in the match, before pushing on to win the fourth game 11-5 and earn his spot in the semi-finals. The world No.10 spoke highly of his opponent after the match.

"Declan is a great player. I'm happy to see him slowly getting back into it. I've seen his progress and I hope he gets back to the top 20 because I know he's got the squash for it. He beat [Karim Abdel] Gawad at the London Classic so I was aware how dangerous he could be."

Elsewhere, favourites progressed including defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy alongside fellow No.1 seed Georgina Kennedy. Welsh duo Tesni Murphy and Joel Makin won their matches to join their compatriot Whitlock in the next stage of the competition.

Greg Lobban is Scotland's last remaining representative in the event after defeating England's Curtis Malik, and No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry reached her seventh British Nationals semi-final after beating Georgia Adderley.