2019 UWW Senior World Championships

Bracket Analysis For Final Greco Flight

Bracket Analysis For Final Greco Flight

We examine the brackets just released for the last three Greco weights at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships.

Sep 15, 2019 by Willie Saylor
Bracket Analysis For Final Greco Flight
Day three draws are out and they represent the last of the brackets for Greco. All three are Olympic weights and, as such, all are absolutely loaded.

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Day three draws are out and they represent the last of the brackets for Greco. All three are Olympic weights and, as such, all are absolutely loaded.

Breakdowns are below.

Related Reading 

Day 2 Match Notes

Day 2 Bracket Breakdown

Best of Day 1

60kg - Ildar Hafizov vs. Etienne Kinsinger (GER)

Ildar is up top in the quad with top-seed and returning World Champ Sergei Emelin (RUS), but he won't hit him until quarters. He'll open with Kinsinger who was 8th at Worlds last year, beating Dalton Roberts in the first round. Ildar would then have Lemur Temirov (UKR), who was Bronze at 63kg last year.

Top Half Analysis: 

Pretty clean up top.

Emelin is here with solid talent but no one that should threaten him getting to quarters where he'd meet Ildar or Temirov. He opens with Erik Torba (HUN), who made the Euro Games finals in June.

The seeded wrestler in the second quad is #4 Ivan Livatovic (CRO) who has never come close to medaling at Worlds but who has been performing well going 3, 3, 5 at Zagreb, Hungary, and Euro's, respectively. Another favorite to come out of that quad is 2017 World Silver Meirambek Ainagulov (KAZ), who should see Livatovic in the quarters.

Bottom Half Analysis: 

The #3 is last year's runner-up to Emelin, Victor Ciobanu (MDA), though the Romanian did get his revenge in this year's Euro finals. Ciobanu should get to the quarters rather cleanly. The same cannot be said for the man to reach him there as there are several proven forces. Elmurat Tasmuradov (UZB) was Silver last year up at 63kg and Bronze in Rio. The tasty early bout here is Tasmuradov vs. Kenchiro Fumita (JPN), the 2017 World Champ, in round two.

#2 seed, Seung-hak Kim (KOR) went 0-1 at Worlds last year. On the other hand, he won three of the rankings tournaments including a Hungary bracket that was absolutely loaded. He was also bronze in 2017. If he's still on point, he cruises to quarters.

Who meets him there will be compelling. You have Se-ung Ri (PRK) who was 5th last year. And though his results haven't been great while he's been wrestling up, Rio Bronze Stig-Andre Berge (NOR) is back down. Look for a good R32 match with Berge and last year's Junior World Champ, Kerim Kamal (TUR). 

Best Early Bout: Round of 32 - Berge (NOR) vs. Kamal (TUR)

Best Early Bout: Round of 16 - Fumita (JPN) vs. Tasmuradov (UZB)


77kg - Pat Smith vs. Roland Schwarz (GER)

Smith will open with Schwarz who went 2-1 and finished 7th last year. He's in the top bracket that filters in to the #3 seed Tamas Lorinz (HUN), who was Silver the last two years. 

Top Half Analysis: 

Your top seed is perennial contender Hyeon-Woo Kim (KOR) who has never finished outside of the top ten in his life. He was Bronze in '18 and in Rio and won an Olympic title in 2012.

But DAMN! Is his quad l-o-a-d-e-d?! He gets 2017 World Bronze Gerai (IRI) first, then the winner of Mursaliyev (AZE), also a 2017 Bronze and 2x U23 finalist Gela Bolkvadze (GEO).

That's just to GET TO the quarter. But whoever comes out of it should make it to the semi as the other group isn't that deep.

The next quad features #4 seed Pavel Liakh, though he's never come close to medaling. It should be a good match with him and Turkey's Fatih Cengiz in round two.

Bottom Half Analysis: 

We discussed the 3rd quad with Lorincz, who is a heavy favorite to make it to the semi's out of that group.

I want to say that the final quad is a two horse race. And they're big horses. But there's a catch.

Let's start with #2 seed is Viktor Nemes (SRB) who was Bronze and Gold the last two years. He should cruise to quarters.

One might think that Roman Vlasov (RUS), the Rio Champ, is a shoo-in to meet Nemes there. Vlasov won Euro's where Nemes was. But in the Round of 32, he'll hit Daniel Aleksandrov (BUL), who beat Vlasov in Kolov finals.

Best Early Bout: Round of 32 -  Aleksandrov (BUL) vs. Vlasov (RUS)


130kg - Adam Coon vs. Lingzhe Meng (CHN)

The lone returning US Greco medalist, Adam Coon sits at the bottom as the #2 seed and opens with Lingzhe Meng (CHN) who he beat in Round 2 last year. Meng finished 7th. So it's not an easy match by any stretch.

Next he'd have Riza Kayaalp (TUR) who, other than last year, made the World/OLY finals every year since 2013. Making matters worse is that the entire lower quad is loaded. Should Coon lose to Kayaalp, it's an absurd road back through repechage that includes former Cuban Acost (CHI) that beat Adam at Pan Ams.

Top Half Analysis: 

Returning World Champ Sergey Semenov is up top as the #1 seed. He''ll get a solid Ghasemi (IRI) in the second round but he should pretty much roll to the semi's in a quad that doesn't offer much other resistance for him. 

The #4 seed is Heiki Nabi (EST) a veteran on the circuit and always in the mix. He was 5th last year, losing to Hinds (CUB), who he'll have in round two, in the Bronze bout. The winner there should meet Semenov.

Bottom Half Analysis: 

2018 Silver medalist Min-seok Kim (KOR) is your #3 seed and just like the situation with the #4 seed, Kim should will the same man he wrestled in the medal bout last year - Eduard Popp of Germany. The winner should make a run to the semi's where they'll hit whoever comes out of the mosh pit that is the bottom quarter.

In addition to those mentioned in Coon's draw above, the bottom quad has Kajaia (GEO) that was the Euro Silver to Kayaalp.

Best Early Bout: Round of 16 - Coon vs. Kayaalp (TUR)

Best Early Bout: Round of 16 - Hinds (CUB) vs. Nabi (EST)

Best Early Bout: Round of 32- Popp (GER) vs. Kim (KOR)