D.C. Foil Grand Prix, Day 2: Eight Team USA Men Advance to Sunday’s Round of 64

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Like many of his Team USA teammates, Jeidus DeSeranno (Renaissance Fencing Club) has traveled the world for the sport he loves.

But this time, he only had to travel from Michigan to D.C., meaning he didn’t even have to leave his own time zone.

“It's been absolutely lovely,” he says. “The energy in here is ecstatic, and just American fencing really brings a beautiful show. I've been to events all over the world, and this is by far one of my favorites.”

DeSeranno rode that wave of energy through pools and DEs on Saturday, punching his ticket as one of eight men from Team USA to advance to Sunday’s main tableau at the 2024 Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix in Washington, D.C.

“Today was just a lot of hard work and effort because at this level, everyone's at the top of their game,” he says. “Everybody's looking toward the Olympics in 2024. And getting to compete with the future Paris Olympians is truly a privilege and a pleasure.”

In addition to the extremely high talent level from top to bottom, DeSeranno points out another noticeable difference between senior FIE tournaments and USA Fencing national tournaments: the schedule.

At USA Fencing tournaments, the competition starts and ends in the same day. At senior tournaments, the first day ends once the Top 64 is set, and competition pauses for the night before continuing a day later.

“Keeping that mental focus is definitely the important part of this,” he says. “Having two days is lovely. Once you've done all the U.S. NACs and had those 12-hour events, getting that little rest period before the 64 with those more intense bouts is quite nice.” 

But that luxury comes with its own challenges. 

“Keeping that mental focus throughout two days is a little challenging,” he says. “I'm hoping to see if I'm up to it.”

And what’s the plan for Saturday night as he prepares for his Round of 64 bout on Sunday morning?

“I would like to say it's party time,” he says, “but realistically it is DoorDash and sleep right now.”

Here’s who advanced to Sunday’s Round of 64. The women’s competition begins at 9 a.m., followed by the men’s tournament at 10:30 a.m. You can see the full tableau here.

Advancing to Sunday’s Round of 64

• Andrew Chen (Bluegrass Fencers' Club)
• Jeidus DeSeranno (Renaissance Fencing Club)
• Chase Emmer (Massialas Foundation (M Team))
• Nick Itkin OLY (LA International Fencing)
• Sidarth Kumbla (New York Athletic Club)
• Bryce Louie (LA International Fencing)
• Alexander Massialas OLY (Massialas Foundation (M Team))
• Gerek Meinhardt OLY (Massialas Foundation (M Team))

Sunday brings the elimination rounds in women’s and men’s foil. Fencing will start at 9 a.m. and continue until gold medals are awarded in both events.

All Sunday bouts will stream live, with a special multicamera broadcast presentation planned for Sunday night for the semifinals and finals.

• Round of 64, Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals: Fencing FIE YouTube channel
• Semifinals and Finals (U.S. and Territories only): NBC Sports YouTube
• Semifinals and Finals (outside of U.S. and Territories): Fencing FIE YouTube channel

68th: James Bourtis

78th: Ethan Gassner

97th: Marcello Olivares

117th: Samarth Kumbla

126th: Richard Li

127th: Griffith Jack

129th: Kian Dierks

134th: Luao Yang

139th: Alexander Wu

144th: Nickolas Rusadze

148th: Miles Chamley-Watson OLY

150th: Spencer Burke

172nd: Jack Oursler

193rd: Jacob Lee

210th: Jeffrey Zhai