By David Gerhart
USA Wrestling

ZAGREB, Croatia – Reigning U20 World champion Everest Leydecker and age-group World Medalist Tristan Kelly both captured wins by criteria in the semifinals of the Zagreb Open to move into gold medal matches on Saturday.

At 53 kg, Leydecker won a 2-2 decision against 2024 Olympian and 2025 World bronze medalist Antim of India. Then, at 76 kg, Kelly secured a 4-4 contest over six-time age-group World medalist and three-time age-group World champion Priya of India.

In their gold medal bouts, Leydecker faces Roksana Zasina from Poland, and Kelly takes on Romania’s Alexandria Anghel.

The experienced Zasina competed at the 2020 Olympics and has appeared at 14 Senior World Championships, highlighted by a bronze medal in 2017. In Anghel’s six Senior Worlds, she won bronze in 2022 to go along with two age-group World medals.

Trialing 4-0 in the final 10 seconds of her match, Kelly scored a takedown with seven seconds remaining. However, following a challenge from the U.S., Kelly’s two-point takedown was upgraded to a four-point maneuver, tying the score at four. Kelly won the decision over Priya on criteria with her late four-point move.

This was Kelly’s second win by criteria of the day after winning a 3-3 decision in the quarterfinals against two-time age-group World medalist France’s Kendra Dacher.

Leydecker scored an early takedown against Antim in her semifinal contest to grab the early lead. After Antim scored only on a pair of one-point calls, Leydecker’s takedown gave her the victory based on criteria with the highest scoring move of the contest.

Before the semifinals, Leydecker rolled to an 11-0 technical fall against India’s Anjali Kachhawa.

Amanda Martinez also advanced to the medal rounds and will battle for bronze at 57 kg. In the morning session, Martinez upended three-time Worlds qualifier Tamara Dollak of Hungary in a 10-0 technical fall. In the quarterfinals, Martinez dropped a 7-1 decision to two-time U23 World medalist Himeka Tokuhara of Japan, who is in the gold medal match.

For bronze, Martinez goes up against three-time age-group World medalist Türkiye’s Elvira Suleyman.

Action from Zagreb continues at 6 p.m. local time / Noon (ET) with women’s freestyle group three (53-57-72-76 kg) and Greco-Roman group two (77-87 kg) medal matches.

A live broadcast of the event is available to the U.S. market through FloWrestling.

Brackets and match-by-match results can be found on UWW Arena.

2026 Zagreb Open 

At Zagreb, Croatia, February 7 

Reference Links 

• Live stream

• Brackets

• Event schedule
  

Women’s Freestyle Results 

Medal Match Pairings 

53 kg 

Gold – Everest Leydecker (United States) vs. Roksana Zasina (Poland)

Bronze – Anjali Kachhawa (India) vs. Antim (India)

Bronze – Umi Imai (Japan) vs. Annika Wendle (Germany)

57 kg 

Gold – Manisha (India) vs. Himeka Tokuhara (Japan)

Bronze – Tindra Dalmyr (Sweden) vs. Amory Andrich (Germany)

Bronze – Amanda Martinez (United States) vs. Elvira Suleyman (Türkiye)

72 kg 

Gold – Diksha Malik (India) vs. Buse Cavusoglu Tosun (Türkiye)

Bronze – Veronika Vilk (Croatia) vs. Kristina Bratchikova (UWW)

Bronze – Zahra Karimzada (Azerbaijan) vs. Mahiro Toshitake (Japan)

76 kg 

Gold – Alexandra Anghel (Romania) vs. Tristan Kelly (United States)

Bronze – Shauna Kuebeck (Canada) vs. Yasuha Matsuyuki (Japan)

Bronze – Kendra Dacher (France) vs. Priya (India)

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Results 

53 kg – Katie Gomez (Van Nuys, Calif./Titan Mercury WC), eliminated 

WON Gerda Terek (Hungary), 8-6

LOSS Antim (India), tech. fall, 11-0

53 kg – Everest Leydecker (Phoenix, Ariz./Thorobred WC), gold medal match 

WON Anjali Kachhawa (India), tech. fall, 11-0

WON Antim (India), 2-2

VS Roksana Zasina (Poland)

53 kg – Sydney Petzinger (Naperville, Ill./Cardinal WC), eliminated 

LOSS Emma Luttenauer (France), 15-11

57 kg – Amanda Martinez (Riverside, Ill./Cardinal WC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal match 

WON Tamara Dollak (Hungary), tech. fall, 10-0

LOSS Himeka Tokuhara (Japan), 7-1

VS Elvira Suleyman (Türkiye)

72 kg – Alex Glaude (Menlo Park, Calif./California RTC/Titan Mercury WC), eliminated 

LOSS Mahiro Yoshitake (Japan), 2-1

76 kg – Tristan Kelly (Erie, Colo./Army WCAP), gold medal match 

WON Kendra Dacher (France), 3-3

WON Priya (India), 4-4

VS Alexandra Anghel (Romania)