On July 2, the fourth leg of the 2025 National Fencing Championship Series, which also served as the first qualifier for the 15th National Games, concluded in Qingyuan, Guangdong, with the completion of the individual sabre events.

In the men’s sabre individual final, Guangdong’s Deng Xiaohao defeated Lu Yang from Jiangsu 15-11 to claim the championship, earning the first victory for Guangdong in this stage of the qualifiers.

Deng Xiaohao had an impressive performance throughout the competition. He went undefeated in all six group stage matches to advance to the knockout rounds. After receiving a bye in the first round, he won three consecutive bouts with scores of 15-4, 15-10, and 15-6 to secure a place in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Shandong’s Wei Zhenhao 15-10 to advance to the semifinals. There, he faced a fierce challenge from another Shandong fencer, Xu Haojun. In a closely contested match, Deng narrowly edged out his opponent 15-13 to reach the final. In the championship bout, he faced Lu Yang from Jiangsu, ultimately prevailing 15-11 to win the men’s sabre individual title. Lu Yang took the silver medal, while Wang Hengyu of Beijing and Xu Haojun of Shandong shared the bronze.

In the women’s sabre individual event, veteran fencer Qian Jiarui from Jiangsu delivered an outstanding performance, progressing smoothly from an undefeated group stage to the final. In the final match, Qian Jiarui decisively defeated young Beijing fencer Tang Enlan 15-7 to secure the title for Jiangsu. Tang took the silver medal, while Chen Ying from Guangdong and Ma Yingjia from Shanghai shared the bronze.

On July 3, the tournament will continue with the sabre team events.