The Mark Bates Ltd National Championships 2026 got under way with the qualifying stages in both Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles.

The David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham was abuzz with activity today as players aimed to reach the main draw beginning tomorrow.

The incentive was huge for all, but particularly those who have been drawn to play against one of the top seeds in the Round of 32.

Photos by Michael Loveder – click here to see more on our Flickr page.

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Tickets remain on sale for Saturday and Sunday – your chance to see some of the best players in the country compete for singles, doubles and para honours.

Saturday tickets are £5 for children and £10 for adults, and on Sunday it is just £7.50 and £15 respectively – with SEVEN champions due to be crowned.

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Men’s Singles

Only one player could go through from each of the 24 groups, and that made for some quality matches.

Some groups saw the tension ratcheting up and the top-ranked players not making it through, while others saw the top seeds making serene progress.

With only seven seeds waiting in the main draw, there was also a second chance for one of the group winners who was drawn out as a ‘lucky loser’.

The surprise results

Youth beat experience in Group 19 – but only just as England junior Kacper Piwowar found a way past European veteran champion and top seed in the group, Lorestas Trumpauskas, 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 15-13). Both had match points – and attracted quite a crowd.

Leo Nguyen upset top-ranked Nahom Asgedom to win Group 8, beating him 3-1 (8-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-8).

James Hamblett beat Under-17 national champion and higher-ranked Max Radiven to take the qualifying spot on Group 13. It was 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-9) in favour of Hamblett in their meeting, completing a run of four 3-0 victories and setting up a meeting with Shayan Siraj in the last 32.

Third-ranked Zoltan Hosszu climbed above both top ranked Alim Hirji and Henry Maric-Murray to won Group 16, beating both in four – Hirji also lost to Maric-Murray in four to end in third place.

Josh Bruce rose from second-ranked to top of Group 21, beating Ryan Choong 3-0 to complete his perfect record of five victories.

Krish Chotai won Group 23 from the second slot, leapfrogging Jack Bennett with a 3-0 win which completed a sequence of whitewashes. Bennett, however, was later drawn out as the lucky loser to advance into the last 32.

Group 24 went to Ollie Cornish, with five 3-0 victories including over top-ranked Munib Ahmed, who had a day to forget and ended in fifth.

The other groups

The top two met to decide the winner of Group 1, each on the back of four 3-0 wins. The encounter was close but went with seeding as Chris Doran beat Matthew Daish 3-2 (10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6).

There were no dramas in Groups 2, 3, and 4 as Jakub Piwowar, Ben Piggott and Shaquille Webb-Dixon respectively won every match 3-0, and it was the same set of results for Shayan Siraj in Group 6.

Isaac Kingham was taken to four games by Joseph Marlor and Brandon Sangchin but still came through Group 5 – Marlor won the first game 11-3 but Kingham came back strongly.

Josh Bennett set up a last-32 match against Sam Walker by winning Group 7 – but only after fighting back from 2-1 down to beat the group’s second-ranked player, Daniel Jones, 3-2 (12-10, 9-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-6).

Group 9 saw a three-way countback as Umair Mauthoor beat Ben Dunkley 3-1 but lost 3-2 to Mahmood Kelani, who in turn lost 3-2 to Dunkley. In the end it went exactly as per seeding, meaning Mauthoor took the verdict ahead of Kelani and then Dunkley.

Felix Thomis was the expected winner of Group 10, dropping only one game, to second-ranked Frederic Wilke.

Rohan Dani and Will Bayley met to decide the winner of Group 11, and it was top-ranked Dani who overcame the 2016 Paralympic champion in four.

Toby Ellis won Group 12 for the those of only two games in five matches, while Gabriel Achampong was expected to win Group 14 and he did – but only after beating Artur Veeck Caltabiano 3-2 (9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-3) and saving three match points in the fourth.

Top-ranked Gabriel Schogger won his five matches in Group 15 for the loss of only two games.

In Group 17, Ismaila Akindiya came through on countback against Dominic Sussex and Dimitar Dimitrov. The latter, the Cadet national champion, won three matches against higher-ranked opponents and four overall – though lost to Akindiya, who himself was defeated by Sussex. It was the top-ranked Akindiya who got the verdict.

Israel Awolaja was perfect in topping Group 18 with five 3-0 victories, and it was the same for Joe Sawyer in Group 20 – Sawyer had two 11-0 games against different opponents.

Joe Sawyer had a perfect run of 3-0 wins to take Group 20, while Abraham Sellado dropped a couple of games but still won all five matches to top Group 22.

Women’s Singles

With four going through in each group, the women’s competition lacked the same level of jeopardy as the men’s – but that did not mean the play was not fiercely competitive.

Top-ranked player in qualifying, Rachael Iles, won Group 1, but was taken to five by Sally Hughes before she won it 3-2 (8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8). Lisa Rinnhofer went through in second, Hughes third and Andrea Harrison fourth.

Group 2 saw a real shake-up, with third-ranked Catherine Lv rising to top the table with four wins out of five – her defeat was in four games to Stefania Popa, who did not advance.

Top-ranked Rebecca Savage lost two matches, as did second-ranked Holly Holder and fourth-ranked Anna Piercey. Savage beat Piercey 3-2 (7-11, 13-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7), while Holder beat Savage 3-0 (8, 10, 5) and Piercey overcame Holder 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4), leaving Holder in second place, Piercey third and Savage fourth.

The top three were reversed in Group 3, Brooke Morris rising to the top ahead of Jonabel Taguibao and Mabel Shute after a three-way countback. Top-ranked Shute beat Morris 3-1 but lost 3-0 to Taguibao, who in turn was defeated 3-0 by Morris. Sarah Horsnell also made it through, in fourth.

Eva Eccles won Group 4 as expected, but needed five against second-ranked Maliha Baig (7-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6). Baig was also defeated by Saskia Key, who finished second, wirth Baig third and Mya Sultan fourth.

Letitia McMullan took Group 5 as expected, but had to win three matches 3-2 – against Kelsey Fordham (8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8); Lauren McIndoe (11-5, 11-3, 6-11, 6-11, 11-0); and against Mia Lakhani (11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10).

Second-ranked Lakhani won her other four matches to go through as runner-up, with Evie Knaapen in third and Lauren McIndoe in fourth, as per ranking.