🇰🇷 WORLD NUMBER ONE SONG SERA REIGNS SUPREME IN ASTANA
Updated: Aug 5
ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN — 29 MARCH 2026
World number 1 Song Sera (KOR) reasserted her global dominance by capturing the gold medal at the Astana Women’s Epee World Cup. The reigning Asian Champion and former World Champion showcased tactical brilliance throughout the four-day event in Kazakhstan, securing the title with a commanding 15–11 victory over Estonia’s Katrina Lehis.
Lehis (EST), the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist and World number 3, took home the silver after a spectacular run of her own. The bronze medals were awarded to World number 4 Alberta Santuccio (ITA), continuing her exceptionally consistent podium streak this season, and the tournament's true underdog story, Diane Von Kerssenbrock (FRA), who claimed her first-ever senior international medal.
Path to the Podium
Song Sera (World number 1) survived severe early scares to prove her championship pedigree. She opened her direct elimination account with a razor-thin 11–10 win over the USA's Fallon, followed two rounds later by another nail-biting 15–14 triumph against local favourite Bakaldina (KAZ) in the round of 16. After hitting her stride with a clinical 15–9 win over Ukraine's rising star Anna Maksymenko in the quarter-finals, Song dispatched Santuccio 15–12 in the semi-finals before controlling the gold medal bout against Lehis.
Katrina Lehis (World number 3) navigated a treacherous upper bracket with elite defensive precision. In the round of 16, she edged out Hong Kong’s Hsieh 12–11 in a tactical chess match. This set up a blockbuster quarter-final against Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Eszter Muhari (HUN); Lehis dug deep to claim a thrilling 14–13 victory over the Doha Grand Prix champion. A 15–12 semi-final victory over Von Kerssenbrock booked her place in the final.
Diane Von Kerssenbrock (World number 72) was the absolute revelation of the tournament in Astana. The Frenchwoman embarked on a sensational giant-killing spree, beginning with a 15–7 demolition of the USA's Catherine Oxenreider. She then stunned former European Champion Irina Embrich (EST) 15–13, before systematically eliminating China's Yu and World number 11 Catherine Nixon (USA) 15–11 in the quarter-finals to secure a historic maiden senior podium.
Alberta Santuccio (World number 4) added to her silver medal from the Wuxi World Cup with another clinical drive to the podium. After narrowly avoiding disaster in a 15–14 opening-round bout against France's Jade Sersot, the Italian maestro found her rhythm. She delivered three consecutive 15–11 masterclasses against Favre (SUI), Yang (KOR), and Turkey's rising talent Aleyna Ertürk to guarantee her bronze.
