Junior Worlds 2025, Wuxi — Women's Foil — Semi Final — GUO Jessica Zi Jia vs LIU Jaelyn

Last year where Guo was the winner 15 to 8 over Molinari. No it was over Liu. And by Liu reaching the podium this will make the seventh medal for the United States of America which is leading the medal race. At the rate of two a day. Yeah. Not quite. With the strength and depth of that you know that we see so often at the you know U.S. men's foil. I was kind of surprised. A little surprising too. None of them made the 16. Guo stepped in. Took the blade and then tried to hit Liu on the shoulder. And it's working out better for Jalyn Yu than it is for Guo. Guo was asking for a review it appeared to be attack from the right. I'm not sure what the review is for unless she thought she parried it with blade contact. Let's see. Coming back pretty quickly which is usually a sign that the call will stay. So that's an attack on fair. The referee didn't say that the first time. It's an attack. When he said attack on fair now I know that she thought it was her parry. Well it's time for Jessica to get going. But really what's of note here and I'd like to say is that Liu is the youngest ever senior World Cup winner after taking the title at the Hong Kong World Cup in January. Right. So she is not as ranked as high as Guo but she has had success at the older level. You mean the senior level? Yeah the senior level. Not the oldest level which is the veteran level. That was a nice one. Yeah. And she's got to be feeling a lot better to finally get that first one. Attack right. Will Guo challenge? She will not. She'll surrender her weapon. You heard the clunk. It was a beat attack. This is quite the start for Liu. Guo hasn't quite started. Wow. Guo has to be so frustrated there. She pushed. She threw everything she had. Pushed Liu to the back of the end of the piste and missed. Well Jalyn Liu looks really relaxed you know and confident. And with a start like this it's going to be difficult to overcome. Isn't that interesting? Had a 6-1 lead. Not one attack and then finally attack with that lead and got nailed so easily at the break. Well we go to our first one minute break in the second semi-final and it's kind of strange asking a question like what does Guo need to do? I'll tell you what Liu doesn't need to do is keep attacking like that. Yeah. I'm not sure what Guo has to do. I think actually what Guo does have to do is exactly what she did when she got hit on the last touch. She pushed Liu all the way to the back end of her piste. She had the right action and she just went over the shoulder and she missed. I think what she needs to do is that. It's push, maybe second intention. You can see the socks there with the H. That's for Harvard. In fact at the last Grand Prix, the Senior Grand Prix in Lima a couple weeks ago she wasn't there and because she was competing at the NCAA Championships for her university. I remember the Ukrainian team that attends Ohio State showed up with her Ohio State socks on as well so I guess that's a thing. Well you got to represent. So Guo is going to continue to push. She needs to do that. Liu shouldn't be passive. She should be busy on her defense like that. I said she doesn't need to attack and she doesn't but I will say the attack on fair is very important for her. Taking the blade has been successful. Being challenged? Yeah it's being challenged but I think it's going to come back the same way it did the previous time but he did say attack a pair which he's coming back quickly. A little spring in his step. No videos. You heard that. So very early in this very important bout Guo has burned both of her videos on similar actions and that could be a problem later on. You really need to be tactical about when to use them. You got to be sure if you're this early. And you said it. Calling the second challenge for the same thing. If you're paying attention you know that he didn't say attack of fair the first time. And you thought it might have been your blade action. This time he said attack of fair. So Guo did score her third touch and a really nice beat attack to the low line the flank of Liu. So let me just say half of Guo's touches of the four have been on Liu's attack without blade actions in the middle of the piece. The one that was like a second before the period ended in that one. Beat attacks have been successful. Straight attacks have not. And she's got to be careful there because she might let Guo back into the bout. Attack of fair did what? That's working. Guo again went to the low line the flank under the arm and that time Liu was waiting and blocked it. That was actually a counter attack in my opinion. I thought that was a straight attack from the right that missed. Liu you're in trouble. What was she doing? Well she rushed it a little bit and she attacked into Guo's closed uh I think the outside line and was parried. You heard the clunk. Yeah. But she was I mean more in a general sense or even particular sense. Yeah it seemed discombobulated. A little bit a little rushed and the reason it was rushed because she was on her end of the piece and she figured she needed to do something. All right well. Light score. I will say this. I said she's been unsuccessful on attacks in the middle without the blade. On that case she was successful. Oh my from way out of distance was Guo. She was dead to rights there on the riposte. Liu missed and Guo hit on the remise. Attack and preparation from the left and all of a sudden there's pressure. We have a bout again. And clock will wind down. We'll go to our second one minute break and the story's changed. It has changed. It was a comfy cozy 10-6 lead with about 15 seconds to go. Guo pushed Liu all the way to the end of her piece was sort of forced her into making that rush to as you said discombobulated action. She got hit and here right right in the middle she she got hit. Attack and preparation right at the buzzer. So the whole mindset changes. Guo is feeling pretty good right now and Liu's starting to second guess it a little bit. Cooler heads will prevail. It has been quite warm since we've been here in Wuxi and it can get quite warm in in this hall and especially under the lights. But not where we're sitting. We're naturally the air conditioners blowing right on as always. All right here we go. Third and final period. This for a place in the gold medal match. I will say a slight edge right now to Guo. Slightly more experienced and right now a little bit of a change in momentum and maybe that minute break was to Liu's advantage so that she had time to think it over too. Well she has not been behind in this semi-final match. Nope. We haven't seen this all about. Look at that. Guo gave up ground easily almost daring Liu to attack her and for the first time we see Liu push her all the way to the end of the piece scoring a straight attack. Riposte right off target and remember no challenges video challenges left for Guo. That's correct. Still attack left off target. Counter riposte from Liu is no. Remiza the riposte from Guo is good. Big touch and Liu was a little bit passive there going back on defense. Let's see if she's a little more aggressive now in the middle. Good battle there. Good attack right. Two meetings of the blade. Not just attack with right. It's a beat attack. You can hear the clunk and excellent referee but you have to let the fencers know and identify the blade action there. Guo was frustrated because she thinks it's her beat and it really doesn't matter what she thinks anymore because she has no more reviews left. Well referee said two meetings of the blade and a card shown to Guo's box. Another remise by Guo the last couple have been. Oh wow just reached enough to sneak it in. Beat attack off target by Liu. Does she try it again? Guo was actually a little bit fortunate there. She did a beat attack from way at a distance. Liu was waiting made their parry and the riposte off target. It's good thing she got the light on because Guo is remising every time. So Liu is under pressure. She can't miss on her riposte. Big big touch maybe the biggest of this bout. Not sure what Liu was thinking there. She just sort of stepped in counter attack. It was a lot like Guo just walked over and touched her on the shoulder. From like out of distance again. Guo over anxious there and Liu was waiting and this time she does put the colored light on. Wonderful parry and riposte. There's no room for error for Jessica Guo here. Parry riposte and it is Jalyn Liu into the gold medal match 15 11. It is bronze for Jessica Guo and our reigning champion in this event. Still gets a medal but not the one she wanted. Not the same as last year. Great job by Liu there at the end of her piece. She made a lot her parries were great. She missed on a few riposte. Look at that riposte to win the bout. The big touch though was not that one. That was of course the 13th one where she surprised Guo with an explosive attack right in the middle there. There it is. It's official. Jalyn Liu will go to the gold medal match and face Mathilde Molinari of Italy and that should be interesting. That should be really interesting.