#WrestleAlexandria

Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series day one finals set

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - 22:19 By Vinay Siwach

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (February 23) -- The second Ranking Series event of the year, the Ibrahim Moustafa, gets underway in the historic city of Alexandria. More than 450 wrestlers are participating in the tournament and Greco-Roman will kick off proceedings.

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The finals for the evening are set

55kg
Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) vs. Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ)

60kg
Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR) 

63kg
Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) 

67kg
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) vs. Merey BEKENOV (KAZ) 

87kg
Ali CENGIZ (TUR) vs. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) 

97kg
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) 

130kg
 Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) vs. Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) 

15:00: Merey BEKENOV (KAZ) has ended HUSIYUETU (CHN)'s winning streak. Husiyuetu was leading 7-1 but a four-pointer and a full roll from par terre gave Bekenov a 9-7 win. He will face Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) in the final. 

14:40: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) is so good from par terre. He gut wrenches Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) for a 9-1 win and enters the 63kg final against Meysam DALKHANI (IRI).

14:15: Tamas LEVAI (HUN), a U23 world champion at 77kg, made his debut at 97kg in Zagreb and reached the final. But here in Alexandria, he runs into Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) who beats him 5-2 in the semifinals.

14:00: Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) into the semifinals at 63kg. Not the easiest of bouts but he wins 2-1 against Madiyar MALTEKBAYEV (KAZ). All technical points in that bout.

13:45: Nicely done by Kerem KAMAL (TUR). He used the head pinch to great effect to win 8-0 against Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ). He was looking for the pin but let the pressure off to allow Abdullaev to spin which gave Kamal two more points for the win.

13:30: Fresh off winning the gold in Zagreb, HUSIYUETU (CHN) has stunned Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) with three power bombs. He got Oehlen in a front lock and executed three throws. 

13:15: That Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) vs Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) bout at 87kg was never-ending. Kessidis was trailing 4-0 but then got the par terre and scored exposure before a four. Tursynov challenged the call and won it. Kessidis, leading 7-4, was put in par terre from which Tursynov scored a throw. No points were awarded so Kazakhstan challenged it again. A point for pushout. But Kessidis wins 7-5.

13:00: The first set of semifinals

60kg
Kerem KAMAL (TUR) vs. Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) vs. Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY)

12:30: A hotly contested bout between Victor CIOBANU (MDA) and Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) at 63kg. Dalkhani got a takedown which Ciobanu thought was only a stepout. He challenged it and lost. Dalkhani then got a point for passivity to lead 4-0 at the break. The second period was an absolute war but no wrestler managed to score. Dalkhani wins 4-0.

12:20: Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) and Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) on Mat A. Tsurtsumia starts with a four but Mukashev with a reversal for takedown and gut to make it 4-4 but Tsurtsumia leads on criteria. He is called for finger-grabbling right before the break. He challenges the call only to lose. Mukashev leads 7-4. After the break, Tsurtsumia managed to get behind Mukashev who hit a four. The referees call a pin. Kazakhstan challenges the call and wins the challenge. It was a leg foul by Tsurtsumia. Mukashev with a takedown to win 13-4

12:15: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) keeps both the passivity points in the bout to win 2-0 against Giorgi MELIA (GEO). Such a smart wrestler Saravi, controls the bout through.

11: 50: Metehan BASAR (TUR) has pulled out injured after a freak injury when he was trying to roll Artur OMAROV (CZE). He pushed his hand under Omarov but his finger got stuck and twisted. Omarov gets the win

11:30: Former world champion Meysam DALKHANI (IRI), who had defeated Abuladze in 2021 final and was injured last season, begins with a technical superiority win 8-0 over Syimyk MAKHMUDOV (KGZ). That gut wrench was strong.

11:20: Two-time world silver medalist and European champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) with a typical Abuladze win. He trailed 2-0 but then makes a comeback in his slow style to win 6-2 against Dastan ZARLYKHANOV (KAZ).

11:05: Victor CIOBANU (MDA) with a solid gut wrench! The former world champion at 60kg has been at 63kg for a while now. He begins with a technical superiority win over Ismail ETTALIBI (MAR).

10:50: Former Asian champion Sunil KUMAR (IND) with a late takedown to beat Noureldin HASSAN (EGY) 7-5 at 87kg. At the same time on Mat A, Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) beats Maimaiti KAISAIER (CHN) 3-1.

10:20: Here's the first big match of the day! Kerem KAMAL (TUR) is up against Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) at 60kg. Kamal gets the first position. He jumps to front par terre, jumps sides frequently and manages to spin Arnaut on the head. But that was clean as Arnaut never was in danger. Kamal leads 1-0. At the start of the second period, Kamal wraps Arnaut's arm around his head and rolls for a two and then a four. A takedown gives him a 9-0 win.

10:00: Welcome to Alexandria! The biggest Ranking Series event in Africa gets underway with Greco-Roman. Seven weight classes in action today are 55kg, 60kg, 63kg, 67kg, 87kg, 97kg, and 130kg. Big day coming up.

#WrestleBudapest

Higuchi, Kiyooka reach finals at Budapest Ranking Series

Thursday, June 6, 2024 - 08:05 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (June 6) -- The final Ranking Series before the Olympics kicks off in Budapest. Seven weight classes in Freestyle will be in action with top wrestlers in all the weight categories. The ranking, and ultimately the seeds for the Olympics will be determined after this Ranking Series.

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13:25: Abbas EBRAHIMZADEH (IRI) blanks Haji ALIYEV (AZE) 6-0 in the 65kg semifinal. Top win for the Iran wrestler who will now wrestle Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) for the gold medal. Kiyooka defended well against a storming Austin GOMEZ (MEX) in the second period to win 12-6.

13:00: AMAN (IND) moves into the final of the 57kg after a 14-4 technical superiority win over Aryan TSIUTRYN (AIN). He will wrestle world silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) for the gold medal. Higuchi was in all sorts of trouble in his semifinal against Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) when the Azerbaijan wrestler used a high chest wrap to lead 8-0. But Higuchi managed to defend the last turn. He scores a takedown and uses a gut wrench to finish the bout 18-8 inside the first period.

12:45: An upset from Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) as he pins Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) in the 125kg final. Petriashvili looks in some trouble with his elbow and has called for a medical timeout. But the pin takes him out of the final. 

12:40: Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) with a stunning late exposure takedown to beat Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) 3-2 and enter the 97kg final. On Mat C, the 92kg world champion Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) looked like entering the final when he led 5-0 against Magomedkhan MAGOMEDGOV (AZE) but the Azerbaijani world silver medalist came back to beat him 15-7.

12:30: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) with a fall over Nahshon GARRETT (USA) after building a 10-1 lead in the 61kg semifinal. He will wrestle the winner of Shahdad Ali KHOSRAVI (IRI) and Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) for the gold medal.

12:15: That will sting Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) for some time. Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) pins Abdullaev in the 57kg quarterfinal and sets up a semifinal against Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) who defeated Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) 11-0 in the quarterfinal.

12:12: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) cannot find a way past Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) at 65kg! After building a 4-1 lead at the break, he hits a huge four-pointer on Aliyev to steer clear and win 9-3.

12:00: Mason PARRIS (USA) was checked by Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) on different occasions but Parris won the 125kg bout 9-2. The Georgian, who qualified for the Paris Olympics at 97kg, is wrestling at 125kg in this Ranking Series.

11:45: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), who got a walkover in his first bout, works to a technical superiority win over Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (AIN) at 125kg. Moments later, at 57kg, AMAN (IND) rolls to an 11-1 win over Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO)

11:35: World champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) drops his Round 2 bout! Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) scores three technical points to lead 3-0 but Muszukajev's takedown cuts the lead to 3-2 with 30 seconds left on the clock. Kiyooka defends well and hits a counter takedown in the end, adding lace to win 7-2.  

11:27: Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) does not show up for his Round 2 bout against Haji ALIYEV (AZE) at 65kg. A big result for Aliyev who is now poised to finish at the top of group A.

11:25: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) dominates Giorgi GONIASHVILI (GEO) at 61kg and wins 18-5 to advance. Harutyunyan will come down to 57kg for the Paris Olympics.

11:20: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM), wrestling at 70kg instead of his preferred 65kg, rolls to an 11-0 victory at Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ). The ranking points won at 70kg will not be added to the ranking points of Tevanyan at 65kg.

11:15: Paris-bound wrestler Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) comes back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Ali Hossein MOMENIJOUJADEH (IRI) 6-2 at 57kg. He will wrestle Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) in the quarterfinals.

11:00: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) with a top 9-2 win over Evan HENDERSON (USA) at 70kg. The Armenian controlled the bout throughout for the win. 

10:50: World champion Iszmail MUSZUKAKEV (HUN), wrestling for the first time since winning the World Championships, begins with a solid 6-2 win over Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB). He keeps it under control despite many attacks from Jalolov.

10:45: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) felt like a long bout! Aliyev got a 1-0 lead at the break for Kiyooka's inactivity. Kiyooka got one point in the second period but Aliyev scored a counter just after the clock expired to lead 3-1. A stepout for Kiyooka with 17 seconds left on the clock. He needed a takedown to win and tried for one but Aliyev bodylocked for a takedown to win 5-2.

10:35: Austin GOMEZ (MEX), qualified for the Olympic Games at 65kg, begins with a 10-0 rout of Gyoergy SZILAGYI (HUN). The 65kg wrestlers are drawn in round-robin and will be wrestling again.

10:30: The first bouts in Budapest are crazy. Austin GOMEZ (MEX) is on Mat C but on Mat B, it's world champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) against Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) and on Mat C, it's Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) vs Haji ALIYEV (AZE).