Soliman Defeats Pajares In Four To Claim Squash On Fire Open Title

No.2 seed Youssef Soliman put on a superb display to defeat No.3 seed Iker Pajares in four games at the Squash On Fire Open and claim his first PSA Tour title since August 2022.

The Egyptian, who had spent 151 minutes on court on his way to the final compared to Pajares’ 211, started the match in exquisite form, finding his line and length on the all-glass court in Washington DC and forcing his opponent into some brutal movements. The aftereffects of Pajares’ 89-minute victory over defending champion Victor Crouin less than 24 hours ago seemed to show early on, with Soliman moving him to all four corners of the court on his way to taking an 11-5 opening game. 

World No.12 Soliman continued to play error-free squash in the second, taking an early lead and never relinquishing control, doubling his lead in the match after 27 minutes. 

A straight-game victory looked to be in the bag for the Egyptian at 10-7 up in the third, but as was the case in the semi-finals, Pajares refused to give in no matter the scoreline. The Spaniard reeled off three consecutive points to force a tie-break and subsequently brought the score back to 2-1 when Soliman hit an attempted drop into the tin. 

Despite the disappointing nature of defeat in the third, Soliman kept his composure and continued to pile the pressure on Pajares. The No.2 seed brought up match ball after 54 minutes of action and claimed victory when Pajares hit a forehand drop shot into the tin.

After the match, Soliman said: “I’m very pleased, it has been a great week for me. I’m very happy and proud of my performance.

“I just wanted to feel like how his legs were. I had no idea how he would be feeling and if he had recovered and what to expect. I just wanted to make the first game long and see if he was feeling it. I then got very edgy in the third game, I remember I had a few match balls, but then I was very happy with how I dealt with my nerves in the fourth.

“I felt like I saw the finishing line [in the third game], so I was very rushed. So as soon as I started the fourth game, I told myself not to rush my play and treat it as a normal game.”

Result

[2] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt [3] Iker Pajares (ESP) 3-1: 11-5, 11-4, 10-12, 11-3 (55m)