Jaume Reaches Maiden World Tour Final After Defeating No.2 Seed Ibrahim

Spain’s Bernat Jaume earns a place in the first World Tour final of his career after beating World No.18 Youssef Ibrahim in the semi-finals of Squash in the Land.

Jaume, who looked unsettled in the first game by his opponent’s fast, aggressive playing style, struggled to keep up from the first rally. The pair traded points to 2-2, but Ibrahim was the aggressor in the match, and he began to widen the gap between them to a comfortable 6-2.

The Egyptian cruised to a 10-3 and claimed the first game with a shot into Jaume which forced the Spaniard into a reactionary shot that left the court.

Jaume seemed acclimatised to the aggressive style of Ibrahim as he matched his volatility in the second game. The World No.58 maintained a narrow advantage throughout the game, but Ibrahim remained within a few points, bringing out some heroics to claim a point 5-7 that included dives, miraculous gets and an equally spectacular cross-court drive that planted Jaume to the spot.

Jaume found himself with three game balls through a combination of composure and well-timed attacking play, and converted on the second time of asking with a delicate flick across court from the front-right corner.

Ibrahim took a resounding 5-1 lead at the start of the third game, rediscovering his dominant form from the start of the match, but Jaume rallied, and slowly reduced the deficit until the pair were level at 9-9.

The ‘Gunslinger’ found himself with the first game ball opportunity, but Jaume restored parity after a contentious no let decision. Ibrahim squandered a second chance to go 2-1 up after hitting the tin, and another tin hit from the Egyptian followed by precise flick from Jaume gave him the lead in the match.

Jaume looked refreshed as he dominant the early stages of the fourth game, accruing five unanswered points capped off with a vicious straight drive.

Ibrahim looked out-of-sorts as the Spaniard kept creating issues for the fading Egyptian until he held a 7-4 lead. Ibrahim regained his footing in the match and levelled that score at 7-7 after Jaume conceded a stroke.

Ibrahim took the lead at 8-7 with a deceptive cross-court drive, but it would be the last point the Egyptian won in the match as Jaume clinically dispatched his No.2 seed opponent with four successive points, and finishing the match with a roller to secure his spot in Sunday’s final.

“I had nothing to lose, said Jaume after the match. “I knew it was going to be a very tough challenge.

“He [Youssef Ibrahim] schooled me in the first game and I had to do something different. I had a 6-0 lead in the fourth and I could see the finish line and he managed to come back.

“If it went to a fifth it would have been very tough. This is the biggest win of my career so far, this is an amazing venue and it still feels surreal. When I go back home and I’m with my close family when I can chill by myself, it’s going to be emotional for me. But I don’t want to think too much because there’s one more to go and hopefully I can produce the same quality again tomorrow.”

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Result: Squash in the Land Presented by Greater Cleveland Squash 2024 Men’s Semi-Final
Bernat Jaume (ESP) bt [2] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-1: 3-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-8 (60m)