#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: Tynybekova beats Motoki; Tosun, Losonczi stunned

By United World Wrestling Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (January 12) -- The Zagreb Open enters day three with Greco-Roman in 77kg and 87kg. The Women's Wrestling will continue in four weight classes with Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) hoping to avenge her World Championships final loss to Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

Watch the Zagreb Open live on UWW+ for free using promo code ZAGREB100.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER

The finals for the evening session

Women's Wrestling

62kg: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) vs Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
68kg: Forrest MOLINARI (USA) vs Feng ZHOU (CHN)

Greco-Roman

77kg: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) vs Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
87kg: Milad ALIRZAEV (AIN) vs Alireza MOHAMADIPIANI (IRI)

16:45: Alireza MOHAMADIPIANI (IRI) enters the 87kg final with a 2-1 victory over Alan OTSAEV (AIN). Mohamadipiani scored a stepout from par terre and then defended his par terre position to win 2-1 and enter the final.

16:35: Feng ZHOU (CHN) takes out the world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) 9-5 in the semifinal at 68kg. Strong gut wrench in the action again as she built a 9-1 lead before a reversal and a gut closed the score to 9-4. A late passivity warning cost her a point but not the bout.

16:25: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) enters the 77kg final against Zoltan LEVAI! He gets the better of Yunus BASAR (TUR) 3-3. Both wrestlers scored a turn from par terre but Suleymanov with the last-point criteria.

16:20: Absolute madness in that Milad ALIRZAEV (AIN)-Daniel HECHAVARRIA (CUB) semifinal at 87kg. Alirzaev scored a four-pointer from par terre and a takedown to lead 7-0. But Hechavarria made a comeback in the second period to tie it 7-7 before Alirzaev scored a reversal to lead 8-7 with 40 seconds remaining. He kept that lead.

16:05: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) with a 3-1 victory over Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) in the 77kg semifinals. Levai scored a turn from par terre in the second period to enter the final.

15:55: A big throw from Milad ALIRZAEV (AIN) saves him in the 87kg quarterfinal against Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB). Alirzaev got the first par terre advantage and hit a four. In the second period, Komarov scored two turns from par terre and made it 5-5 with Alirzaev leading on criteria. The score and lead remained that way till the end.

15:50: Time for the big semifinal at 62kg. Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) and Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) on Mat B. Tynybekova put on the activity clock. She fails to score and Motoki gets a takedown to lead 3-0 at the break. Remember Tynybekova defeated Motoki in the 62kg final at the World Championships. Motoki keeps stepping back in the second period and is hit with the 30-second activity period. Tynybekova catches Motoki off guard and scores exposure along with the activity period point to win 3-3. That was stunning from Tynybekova.

15:45: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) ends world bronze medalist Nao KUSAKA's (JPN) run. He gets a reversal from par terre and then traps the arm to score a turn. A big lift and huge four plus another turn gives him a 9-1 victory at 77kg. In 87kg, Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) scores from par terre in the second period to beat Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) 3-3.

15:30: Yunus BASAR (TUR) gets the better of Ali ARSALAN (SRB) at 77kg. Basar was the better and more active wrestler. He won 8-1. A little later, Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) won his 77kg bout with a fall.

15:15: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) continues her solid run and is now in the semifinal. She defeated Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) 7-3. She will face Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)

15:10: Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) with a takedown to open the scoring against Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) who managed to survive a pin as well. Motoki with a double-leg and takes a 2-2 criteria lead at the break. Motoki with another takedown and one point for the activity clock. She now leads 5-2. She wins and will wrestle Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in the semifinal.

14:55: Alan OSTAEV (AIN) and Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) put on a show! Mukubu opened with a big four-pointer and one stepout but Ostaev had a takedown, four-pointer and a stepout to lead 7-5. Mukubu added a takedown but that was not enough as Ostaev hit a huge four and won 11-8

14:40: World bronze medalist Nao KUSAKA (JPN) beats 72kg world champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 10-0 after a huge throw for four. Kusaka flexes to show his domination. On Mat C, Idris IBAEV (GER) has two big throws to win 10-0 against VIKAS (UWW).

14:30: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) is solid in par terre and Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) can't break his defense. Komarov moves into the quarterfinals at 87kg with a 6-2 win.

14:20: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) with a 9-0 win at 77kg over Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO). He moves into the quarterfinals. On Mat C, Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) beats Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) 2-0.

13:50: Clutch from Feng ZHOU (CHN)! Trailing 3-1 with 10 seconds on the clock, Zhou gets Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) in a headlock and rolls to get two points and wins 3-3 on criteria. Poland challenges, asking for two points for Choluj as well for exposure but that is not the case. A 4-3 win for Zhou.

13:40: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) is wrestling  Yaru WU (CHN) and trailing 5-0 at the break. On the adjacent mat, Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) is wrestling LILI (CHN) and leading 4-0. Tynybekova with a go-behind to cut the lead to 5-2. She picks a cross-ankle and takedown to make it 5-4 with a minute left. Wu with a one-on-two but Tynybekova slips out and scored a takedown to take a 6-5 lead. Wu with another attempt but Tynybekova held on for a 6-5 win. Motoki got a leg lace on Lili to stretch her lead to 8-0. A throw from Lili got her two but a reversal and two for Motoki who now leads 11-2 and will win with the same score.

13:15: Another world champion falls in the first bout! David LOSONCZI (HUN) falls 9-0 to Alan OSTAEV (AIN) in the first period itself. Ostaev with an arm spin for four and then a correct throw for two to lead 6-0. Losonczi tries to do the double-arm lock throw but falls on his back, giving Ostaev two more. Hungary challenges the call but it stands and Ostaev wins 9-0

13:00: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB), wrestling his first tournament for Serbia, with a quick 9-1 win over Spencer WOODS (USA) at 87kg. On Mat C, Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) took his own time to beat Ioannis NARLIDIS (CAN) 12-4.

12:30: Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) with a victory via fall over Yoan DIMITROV (BUL) at 87kg and then Istvan TAKACS (HUN) beats Islam ABBASOV (AZE) 3-2.

12:10: World champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), Yunus BASAR (TUR), Ali ARSALAN (SRB) and VIKAS (UWW) all begin their tournament with convincing wins at 77kg.

11:50: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) used a second period takedown to beat Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) 3-1 at 77kg. Turkiye is trying to find their wrestlers for the Olympic qualifier and Yilmaz, with that loss, may well be out of that race.

11:30: World champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) gets rolled by Feng ZHOU (CHN) who has a solid gut wrench! Zhou with a 10-0 win at 68kg.

11:20: SONAM (UWW) has to forfeit her bout Iryna BONDAR (UKR) after she fell during the bout. Bondar declared winner by injury but seems like Sonam was had a bad weight cut.

11:10: Typical Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) match there. She led 2-0 against Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) after two activity points and when Nwachukwu tried an attack in the final few seconds, Tynyebkova scored to win 4-0. 

11:00: A two-minute pin for Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) over Eniko ELEKES (HUN) at 62kg. Motoki and Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) are on the path to meeting in the semifinals.

10:50: Milad ALIRZAEV (AIN) warms up with a 9-0 win over Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU) Both passivities were won by Alirzaev and he gave little opening to Nemsevicius.

10:30: First big match of the day and world bronze medalist Nao KUSAKA (JPN) comes back from 3-0 down to win 8-7 against Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL) at 77kg. On Mat B, Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) gets going with an 8-3 win over Khasay HASANLI (AZE).

10:00: Welcome to day three of the Zagreb Open with women's wrestling in four weight classes and two Greco-Roman weight classes.

#WrestleZagreb

Buchanan spoils Yazdani’s return at Zagreb Open

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 5) -- For the modestly attended Zagreb Open 2026, Thursday brought a noticeable lift in attendance as Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) returned to competition.

Yazdani, who injured his shoulder in the Paris Olympics final, was returning 18 months and another surgery later. The Olympic champion at 74kg in 2016 and silver medalist at 86kg in 2020 and 2024, is now up at 97kg.

Over the past decade, Yazdani has enjoyed stardom with fans not just in Iran but across the globe.

So when a bulkier Yazdani walked out to the mat in Zagreb, his silhouette under the spotlights looked different. The 13 kilogram jump was clearly visible. There was no traditional jump from him before coming to the center of the mat.

Stephen BUCHANAN (USA)Stephen BUCHANAN (USA) launches Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) for a four-point throw. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Yazdani’s decision to switch Olympic weight classes was a move born out of necessity, especially after two shoulder surgeries.

In the early rounds of the Zagreb Open, the experiment seemed to be working. The signature underhooks were there, the gas tank seemed fine and his movement, despite the bulk, did not seem unnatural.

Before reaching the final, Yazdani had seen off his opponents with rather ease. He scored points via stepouts, takedowns and go-behind in typical Yazdani fashion. He gave up only four points in his three bouts and reached the final without much trouble.

But then he hit a wall.

In the second period of the final, Yazdani's underhooks stopped working and his gas tank showed a leak. His movement became slower although his mind wanted him to be quick against Stephen BUCHANAN (USA).

Buchanan matched Yazdani for position and let Yazdani take only a 2-1 lead at the break. But he caught Yazdani in the second period and launched the Iranian for a suplex for four. It's rare for Yazdani to be thrown around like that.

And with him falling behind 5-2, Yazdani tried to attack more and that's when opportunities for Buchanan opened up as he scored three takedowns and two steps, beating Yazdani 13-3 and capturing the gold medal in Zagreb.

This was Yazdani's only tenth loss at the senior level and first to a U.S. wrestler other than David TAYLOR (USA). It was also the first a wrestler defeated Yazdani via technical superiority.

With Buchanan's gold, the United States finished the tournament with five gold medals in Freestyle.

Trent HIDLAY (USA)Trent HIDLAY (USA) scores a takedown against Mobin AZIMI (IRI). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

World champion at 92kg Trent HIDLAY (USA) forfeited his final against Mobin AZIMI (IRI). But Hidlay had defeated the Iranian 5-5 in their round robin bout.

Hidlay, known for his insane comeback in bouts, was down 5-0 against Azimi when he mounted a comeback. He scored a takedown and then a point to make it 5-3. He then scored a step out on Azimi which cut the lead to 5-4. Iran challenged the stepout call but lost it to tie the score 5-5 with Hidlay holding criteria. Hidlay then defended his criteria for the rest of the bout.

In another bout against an Iranian, Hidlay came back from 8-0 down to beat Abofazl RAHAMANI (IRI) 11-9 as he took the top spot in his group.

Rahamani and Azimi clashed as well in the round robin and it was Azimi who scored a takedown in the final seconds to beat his compatriot 4-3 and finish second in the group.

Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN)Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) pins Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) in the 125kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 125kg, Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) is quickly emerging as the biggest challenger to world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) at the weight class.

Sharipov captured the gold medal at 125kg with a incredible cradle and turk position against Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA). Shapirov locked Hendrickson in a leg-turn and then turned him on his back, keeping him down and securing the fall.

With a dominant performance in Zagreb, the Bahrain wrestler has put his name as a serious medal threat at the 2026 World Championships that will be held in Bahrain in October.

European silver medalist Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) defended his gold medal from 2025, winning a close 4-4 final against Dean HAMITI (USA) at 79kg.

Khadjiev was leading 4-1 when he was put on the activity clock. As the clock expired and he failed to score, Khadjiev also gave up a takedown which tied the score 4-4. But the French wrestler get the criteria due to his two two-point scoring moves.

RESULTS

Freestyle

79kg
GOLD: Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) df. Dean HAMITI (USA), 4-4

BRONZE: Evan WICK (USA) df. Daniel BRAUNAGEL (USA), 8-6
BRONZE: Adel PANAEIAN (IRI) df. Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO), via fall

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Trent HIDLAY (USA), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Dustin PLOTT (USA) df. Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA), 6-1

97kg
GOLD: Stephen BUCHANAN (USA) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), 13-3

BRONZE: Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) df. Richard VEGH (HUN), 12-2
BRONZE: VICKY (IND) df. Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA), 8-2

125kg
GOLD: Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA), via fall

BRONZE: Mortaza JANMOHAMMADZADEH (IRI) df. Robert BARAN (POL), 8-4
BRONZE: DINESH (IND) df. Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL), via fall

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN) df. NEELAM (IND), 5-2

BRONZE: MUSKAN (IND) df. Agata GOLUCHOWSKA (POL), 11-0
BRONZE: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) df. Natalia WALCZAK (POL), 9-6

55kg
GOLD: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Karla GODINEZ (CAN), 6-0

BRONZE: Nagisa HARADA (JPN) df. Beatrice FERENT (ROU), 2-1
BRONZE: Areana VILLAESCUSA (USA) df. Amani JONES (USA), 4-0