🇮🇹 BATINI BEAUTIFUL IN SHANGHAI TO CAPTURE SECOND GRAND PRIX GOLD
Updated: Aug 6
SHANGHAI, CHINA — 17 MAY 2026
World number 3 Martina Batini (ITA) emphatically stamped her authority on the global circuit, capturing the gold medal at the third and final Women's Foil Grand Prix of the season in Shanghai. The veteran Italian phenom put on a clinic at the Haopu Film and Television Base, concluding her regular season with a 15–11 victory over Japan’s Ueno Yuka.
The triumph marks Batini's second Grand Prix title of the 2025–26 campaign—following her early-season victory in Turin—and rounds out an incredible regular season featuring four individual international podiums. With the European and World Championships on the horizon, Batini has firmly established herself as a medal favourite.
Ueno Yuka (JPN), the reigning Asian Champion and world number 4, earned the silver medal to claim the first Grand Prix podium of her career. The bronze medals were shared by Italy's Anna Cristino and individual neutral athlete Marta Martyanova.
Path to the Podium
Martina Batini (World number 3) showcased flawless tactical variation throughout the bracket, dispatching domestic teammate Alice Volpi 15–9 in the round of 16 before overpowering Japan's reigning Asian silver medallist Tsuji Sumire 15–8 in the quarter-finals. After fending off a sharp challenge from Martyanova 15–12 in the semi-finals, Batini used her experience to control the distances against Ueno in the final to seal the crown.
Ueno Yuka (World number 4) put together a brilliant run to secure her third silver medal of the season, replicating her runner-up finishes from the Palma and Busan World Cups. Her day included a clinical 15–8 win over former European Champion Leonie Ebert (GER) and a nerve-shredding 11–10 defensive victory over teammate Takeyama Yuzuha in the quarter-finals. Ueno then held off Cristino 13–11 in a tactical semi-final to secure her historic place in the final.
Anna Cristino (World number 8) was absolutely delighted to capture her first individual podium of the season. The 2025 World Championship bronze medallist navigated a dense Japanese gauntlet, defeating Kikuchi Komaki 15–12 in the last 16 and backing it up with a stellar 15–12 quarter-final victory over Paris 2024 Olympic team bronze medallist Miyawaki Karin.
Marta Martyanova (World number 19) locked down her second podium of the campaign by playing the role of ultimate bracket spoiler. In the round of 16, Martyanova delivered the shock of the tournament by eliminating world number 2 Favaretto Martina—who entered Shanghai having won three golds and a bronze on the circuit this year—with a brilliant 15–13 win. Martyanova proved her form was no fluke, repeating that 15–13 scoreline in the quarter-finals to eliminate France's world number 9 Pauline Ranvier.
