#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: Snyder beats Ghasempour, Zare vs Masoumi in 125kg final

Thursday, January 11, 2024 - 09:09 By United World Wrestling Press

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ZAGREB, Croatia (January 11) -- Zagreb Open day two is about to give wrestling fans a Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) and Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) vs Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) at 125kg. Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will also be in action.

Catch all the action from the Zagreb Open Ranking Series free using promo code ZAGREB100.

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The finals for the evening session are set:

Women's Wrestling

50kg: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs. Ziqi FENG (CHN)
55kg: Samantha STEWART (CAN) vs. Roksana ZASINA (POL)

Freestyle

79kg:  Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) vs Mohamad NOKHODI (IRI)
92kg: Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) vs Nathan JACKSON (USA)
97kg: Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
125kg: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) vs Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)

13:45: Over on Mat A, world bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) rolled to a 12-2 win over world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) to reach the 50kg final. She will take on Yui SUSAKI (JPN) in a rematch of the World Championships semifinal which Susaki won 4-2.

13:40: Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) step out for the 97kg semifinal. Snyder with the first attacks and gets a stepout. Ghasempour is warned for activity and put on the 30-second clock. Snyder leads 2-0 at the break. Ghasempour gets a single leg but switches for a stepout. Snyder circles and scores a takedown with ease. Snyder leads 4-0 with a minute left. Snyder will hold off Ghasempour and march into the 97kg final with a 4-0 win. He will face Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI).

13:30: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) and Mason PARRIS (USA) on Mat A now. An underhook heavy Masoumi scores the first stepout but Parris with a takedown. Masoumi with another stepout. Parris shoots for a single leg but Masoumi blocks and gets exposure but Parris rolls him over for two points. 4-4 criteria lead for Parris. Masoumi with a takedown and Parris is put in par terre for fleeing the hold. Masoumi gets a gut wrench and makes it 8-4 at the break. Parris gets on some of the leg attacks but doesn't finish any. Masoumi still leads 8-4. Parris gives up a stepout but scores a takedown to make it 9-6. Masoumi is still with the lead. Two to finish the match and Masoumi wins 11-6 and sets up a final against Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)

13:20: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) pulls out injured against Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) in their 125kg semifinal. Zare had defeated Petraishvili in the World Championships final last year.

13:15: World bronze medalist Anna LUKASIAK (POL) had the world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) in trouble with four points but Dolgorjav hung on for a 5-4 win.

13:10: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) keeps off a stunning comeback from Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) t to win 8-7 and advance to the 97kg semifinals.

13:05: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) is called for passivity against Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) and gives up the activity point. Ghasempour with a takedown just before the break to lead 2-1. He begins the second period with a takedown and adds another to lead 6-1. No more scores in the bout and we have Kyle SNYDER vs Kamran GHASEMPOUR semifinal at 97kg.

12:55: Kyle SNYDER (USA) into the semifinals at 97kg with a 10-0 win over Cristian SARCO (VEN). Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) taking on Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) now to see if he can set up the semifinal against Snyder. 

12:50: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) with another victory via superiority and she moves into the 50kg semifinals. Susaki looks in dominant form so far, as expected.

12:45: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) with a technical superiority win over Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) at 125kg. He will get Petriashvili in the semifinals.

12:40: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), leading 3-0 against Robert BARAN (POL) at 125kg, seems to have pulled a muscle around his ribs. He has called for medical attention. He resumes the bout and wins 10-0 but looks in trouble. He also has a heavily tapped left knee.

12:30: A surprise entry into the semifinals at 97kg as VICKY (UWW) beat Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO) 5-0. Solid performance from Vicky so far for his three wins.

12:15: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (AIN) scored a takedown on Yui SUSAKI (JPN) but the Japanese answered with a reversal and then an arm bar to pin Smirnova! Into the quarterfinals at 50kg.

12:00: That was a long bout for Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) against Awusayiman HABILA (CHN). Perhaps saving some energy for later but Habila cut the lead to 4-2 before Ghasempour scored a takedown to win 6-2.

11:30: Kyle SNYDER (USA) wins at 97kg and Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) holds off Youssif HEMIDA (EGY) at 125kg. Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) is up next on Mat B

11:20: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) survives a scare. Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) scored a takedown to lead 2-0 but Petriasvili, seemingly in some trouble, managed to crawl back and win 3-2. On Mat B, Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) blanks Zhewei DENG (CHN) 10-0.

10:55: 20 seconds! That's the time Yui SUSAKI (JPN) needed to pin Mariana ROJAS (VEN) at 50kg.

10:50: Two-time world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) rolls to a 10-0 lead before securing a fall against Agata WALERZAK (POL) at 50kg to kick off Women's Wrestling at the Zagreb Open.

10:45: Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN) wrestling on Mat C. Snyder with a stepout. Mueite answers with his own. Snyder with a double-leg with a four. He adds one more in the second and a takedown to win 11-1 at 97kg.

10:30: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) and Givi MATCHRASHVILI (GEO) wrestling at 125kg. The Georgian is a 97kg wrestler but has decided not to cut weight at the start of the season. He is up at 125kg but trailing 4-0 at the break against Masoumi. A match that was never in Matchrashvili's grabs as Masoumi beats him 6-2 at 125kg.

10:00: Welcome to day two of the Zagreb Open! Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Daniel LIGETI (HUN) at 125kg put on a show, sort of. Petriashvili was trailing 3-0 but added three takedowns in the second period to win 6-3 and advance.

#WrestleZagreb

Valiev outsmarts Sidakov again to reach Worlds final

Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 16:24 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 14) -- For five minutes and 50 seconds in both the 74kg semifinals, there was little indication that the results will change. But 10 seconds were enough for Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) to change the outcome.

Valiev was down 4-2 against Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) but managed to elevate the latter's leg from an attack before tripping him on the edge for a two-point takedown, taking a 4-4 criteria lead with three seconds remaining.

Sidakov tried a desperate attack but gave up another takedown even in that short time as Valiev reached his first-ever World Championships final on debut in Zagreb, Croatia.

Takahashi was down 4-1 against Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) but the Japanese scored a takedown and turned Salkazanov through a gut-wrench to lead 5-4. He still had 6 seconds to defend and he managed to do it with ease. Slovakia challenged for fleeing from Takahashi but that was lost which added an additional point to make it 6-4.

Valiev and Takahashi, both with clutch wins, will now clash in the 74kg final for the world title on Monday.

Three other weight classes were also in action on Sunday and the United States was the only country to put two wrestlers in the finals -- Levi HAINES (USA) at 79kg and Trent HIDLAY (USA) at 92kg.

Haines, who stunned world champion Akhmed USMANOV (UWW) in the quarterfinals, scored a controlled 4-1 victory over Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) in the semifinals. Olonbayar got the first point via passivity of Haines but the U.S. wrestler scored a counter exposure for two points and take a 2-1 lead.

He scored a ankle pick for another two-point takedown and defended his 4-1 lead for the win and reach the final, a surprise in a tough 79kg bracket.

On Monday, he will try to stop Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) from becoming Greece's first-ever wrestling world champion in history. The European champion from Greece showed some of the most high-paced wrestling in the semifinal against world silver medalist Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) to win 8-3.

Nokhodi, was often stood squared-up, had no answered to Kougioumtsidis' constant attacks as the Greece wrestlers led 6-3 at the break. He scored a single-leg takedown in the second period and won 8-3.

Hidlay, who has switched levels in his career this year, reached the final at 92kg after destroying world silver medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 15-4, in the semifinals.

Nurmagomedov was in the match when the score was 5-4 with 2:23 left but Hidlay switch gears since, scoring a go-behind, a feet-to-back four-pointer and a takedown to finish with a technical superiority win.

He will face Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW) for the gold medal after Gadzhimagomedov managed to hold off Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) for an 11-6. Firouzpour, who had multiple age-group world titles, kept shooting for Gadzhimagomedov's legs but the UWW wrestler kept countering those attack with lift exposures.

Gadzhimagomedov then sealed the win with stepout, handing him a 9-6 lead and a takedown finishing the match 11-6.

Harutyunyan pinned after Lee heroics

Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) undoubtedly had the most impressive win of the morning session when he defeated Olympic silver medalist Spencer LEE (USA) 14-3 in the quarterfinals.

The win put Harutyunyan as the favorite to advance to the final at 57kg. However, Asian champion Chongsong HAN (PRK) had different ideas. He hit a lateral drop on Harutyunyan in the semifinals and secured a fall to enter the final. Han is the first Freestyle wrestler from the DPR Korea to enter the final in 11 years.

Han will now try to become a world champion when he takes on Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) in the 57kg final after the Kyrgyz wrestler took it to Paris Olympic bronze medalist Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), winning 8-0.

Abdullaev seemed to have burnt out from the earlier matches and had little fight left in him as Almaz Uulu scored points at his will in the semifinals including four stepouts.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Chongsong HAN (PRK) vs. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ)

SF 1: Chongsong HAN (PRK) df. Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), via fall
SF 2: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), 8-0

74kg
GOLD: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) vs. Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN)

SF 1: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) df. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW), 6-4
SF 2: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), 6-4

79kg
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df. Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), 8-3
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 4-1

92kg
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA) vs. Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW)

SF 1: Trent HIDLAY (USA) df. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 15-4
SF 2:  Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW) df. Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI), 9-6