Canada vs IJF
There was little suspense in the contest between team Canada and team IJF, as the International Judo Federation selection cruised to a 4–0 victory. The tone was set immediately by Anna Petrunina, who needed less than ten seconds to score ippon with a thunderous harai-goshi to the left. The second point came from the newly crowned +100 kg world junior champion, Bislan Katamardov, who defeated John Messe a Bessong with two clean waza-ari scores. Next, Elvida Gureva maintained the momentum, overcoming Laurence Gagnon with another 2–0 waza-ari victory, before Iaroslav Bunakov sealed the team’s victory by throwing Fahad Fithane for ippon. With this decisive win, Team IJF advanced to face Japan, the overwhelming favourites for the title, in the next round.
Kazakhstan vs Belarus
The opening point went to team Kazakhstan, courtesy of Saltanat Akhmetova, who defeated Slaviana Rylkevich with a precise seoi-otoshi, scoring waza-ari, followed by an immobilisation to earn waza-ari-awasete-ippon. Zhantilek Nurtilepuly quickly doubled the lead, landing an early waza-ari from a sharp sode-tsuri-komi-goshi against Yauheni Morau. The Kazakh momentum continued as Dana Abdirova controlled her contest to secure another convincing win, over Diana Grigorenko. Anton Dubovik offered Belarus a brief glimmer of hope with a well-earned point but it was short-lived. Korkem Orymbek sealed the victory for Kazakhstan, throwing Hanna Sitnik for ippon to close the tie at 4–1. It was a strong and confident performance from Kazakhstan, who advanced to the next round to face team France.
Türkiye vs Peru
The 4–0 scoreline in favour of Türkiye did not fully reflect the intensity of the encounters, as several matches showcased both the skill of the Turkish athletes and the determination of the host nation, Peru, to perform well in front of their home crowd. The opening point was secured by Sema Mete, who defeated Eloisa Arevalo by ippon. Recep Ergin extended Türkiye’s lead, overcoming Emilio Loo; a solid performance. The third point came through Elif Kilic who prevailed in a tactical and hard-fought bout against Luciana Julca. Finally, Hilmi Mucik sealed the tie with Türkiye’s fourth and final point, confirming the team’s dominance while leaving Peru with the satisfaction of a spirited showing in front of an appreciative audience.
Germany vs Cuba
The contest between Germany and Cuba was tense and thrilling from start to finish. Germany took an early lead, racing ahead 3–0 thanks to impressive performances from Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer, an individual finalist, Mortaza Suha and Helene Riegert. However, Cuba refused to go down without a fight. Jon Juan Fleitas and Glenda Maso Veranes reignited their team’s hopes by claiming two consecutive wins, narrowing the score to 3–2 and putting the pressure squarely back on the German judoka. The decisive contest came down to Paul Friedrichs against Alexander Cesar, a bout that had the crowd on edge. In the end, Friedrichs managed to secure victory by registering two yuko scores, sealing a 4–2 win for Germany. The team then faced a tough challenge in the next round, against Brazil, one of the tournament’s favourites.