He defeated two favorites and advanced to the round of 16. A great performance by the Pole.

The 22-year-old AZS AWF Katowice player, currently ranked 73rd in the world, defeated two higher-ranked and renowned sabre fencers in the main draw on Friday (from the Round of 32). In the first round, he defeated sixth-ranked Korean Sangwon Park 15-11, and then defeated Andras Szatmari, the Hungarian world champion in 2017, runner-up in 2019, and European runner-up from two years ago, 15-12.

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Now, standing in the Pole's way will be Egyptian Ziad Elsissy, bronze medalist at the previous World Championships in Milan in 2023, where Hryciuk also achieved a lifetime success, finishing seventh. The two-time African champion is 12th in the sabre fencers' standings.

Krzysztof Kaczkowski (ZKS Sosnowiec) was eliminated in the round of 32. This year's national champion was ranked 61st after a 7-15 defeat to home favorite Sandro Bazadze, a two-time European champion and former world number one.

Olaf Stasiak (KKSz Konin), who finished 65th, and Benedykt Denkiewicz (UKS Szabla Ząbki), after losing in the decisive phase to... Hryciuk, failed to make it through the qualifying rounds. This year's World Junior Championship bronze medalist finished 69th.

On Friday, the foil skaters are also competing for medals, but no Polish women are among the top 32. The team competition, however, will begin with the foil skaters and epee skaters, until the top eight are determined. Coach Bartłomiej Język's team is defending the gold medal they won two years ago in Milan, but with a completely different lineup.

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