The second day of action at the 2026 Karate One Premier League in Rome delivered excitement as well as upsets as exponents booked their places in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Male Kata \u2013 Ariel Torres Gutierrez vs Grand Winner Kakeru Nishiyama<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ariel Torres Gutierrez from the United States caused one of the biggest shocks of the day. He defeated Italy\u2019s Alessio Ghinami 6-1 in the semifinals. Ghinami, the current World Championships runner-up and local star, couldn\u2019t find his way to the final on home soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the other semifinal, Kakeru Nishiyama of Japan beat Kotaro Ohata 6-1. Nishiyama, the reigning Grand Winner and World Champion, aims for an incredible 13th consecutive gold medal in Karate One events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female Kumite -61 kg \u2013 Sarara Shimada vs Grand Winner Assel Kanayu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Japan\u2019s Sarara Shimada advanced to the final after a narrow 6-5 win over Emina Sipovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shimada looks to claim her fourth Karate One Premier League gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the other semifinal, Kazakhstan\u2019s Assel Kanay defeated Wafa Mahjoub of Tunisia 3-2. Kanay, the current Grand Winner, will face Shimada in a tense battle for the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Male Kumite -84 kg \u2013 Eduard Gasparian vs Matteo Fiore<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eduard Gasparian of WKF-1 powered past Rikito Shimada of Japan 9-5. Gasparian\u2019s strong attacks and quick counter-strikes secured his spot in the final. Matteo Fiore of Italy won his semifinal 3-0 against Djordje Salapura of Serbia. Fiore is a two-time silver medallist in the Premier League but has yet to claim gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The final will pit Gasparian\u2019s explosive style against Fiore\u2019s determination on home turf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female Kumite -68 kg \u2013 Thalya Sombe vs Grand Winner Elena Quirici<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n France\u2019s Thalya Sombe caused one of the day\u2019s biggest upsets, defeating Azerbaijan\u2019s Iryna Zaretska 5-3. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sombe, a three-time Premier League winner and current World Champion, is back in top form. Switzerland\u2019s Elena Quirici beat Elina Sieliemienieva of Ukraine 2-0. Quirici, the current Grand Winner, returns to the final after missing the Istanbul event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Male Kumite 84+ kg \u2013 Mohamed Elhassan vs Andjelo Kvesic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Egypt\u2019s Mohamed Elhassan reached his first Karate One Premier League final after a 0-0 draw against Anes Bostandzic from Bosnia and Herzegovina, winning by \u2018Hantei\u2019 or judges\u2019 decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Croatia\u2019s Andjelo Kvesic beat Ivan Kudzina\u016d of WKF-2 2-1, reaching his second Premier League final. Kvesic previously won the title in 2024 in Antalya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Female Kumite 68+ kg \u2013 Sofya Berultseva vs Rochelle Walters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kazakhstan\u2019s Sofya Berultseva advanced to the final after a 4-2 victory over Maria Torres Garcia of Spain. Berultseva, a five-time Premier League winner, aims to repeat her Istanbul success. England\u2019s Rochelle Walters beat Johanna Kneer of Germany 4-3 to reach her first final since her two previous appearances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The second day of action at the 2026 Karate One Premier League in Rome delivered excitement as well<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-10584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-karate"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t