2026 Final X Preview: 55 kg WFS Everest Leydecker vs. Areana Villaescusa

It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time having loose discussions about Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 19th, from Newark, New Jersey. Prior Previews 57 kg MFS 61 kg MFS 65 kg MFS 92 kg MFS 50 kg WFS 53 kg WFS 55 kg women’s freestyle This is another series that features a proven veteran against one of the future stars of our sport. Areana Villaescusa has been competing on the Senior level since 2017 and has generally been among the top contenders for a spot on the world team in most years since then. Everest Leydecker is the top-ranked senior from the high school Class of 2026. Last summer, Leydecker won a gold medal at the U20 World Championships. Even though Villaescusa is the more experienced and older competitor, it’s Leydecker who has prior Final X experience. Last year, she fell in two straight, but competitive matches to Cristelle Rodriguez. Villaescua has one year of Senior World Team experience under her belt; however, she did not compete at Final X during that run. That was in 2024 and she made the World Team for non-Olympic weights. At that tournament, Villaescusa finished one win shy of a bronze medal. Over the course of her career, Villaescusa is a two-time US Open runner-up and a finalist at the U23 World Team Trials. Could this be her best opportunity to get back onto the world stage and grab that elusive world medal, or perhaps, the beginning of a new era with Leydecker staking her claim at this weight? How They Got Here Leydecker: Since Rodriguez did not medal at the 2025 World Championships, the US Open winner was the first wrestler to advance to Final X and the opponent would be decided at the World Team Trials. Leydecker cruised to the US Open finals with two techs and a fall. In the championship match, Leydecker converted a pair of takedowns to grab the win 4-1 and clinch her spot in Final X. Villaescusa: Like Leydecker, Villaescusa encountered very little resistance at the Open with a fall and two techs prior to the finals. At the World Team Trials, Villaescusa turned in a pair of six-point wins over Sara Sterner and Alex Hedrick. Recent Form Leydecker: Leydecker has been excellent, of late. She finished 2025 with a title at the Bill Farrell in November. In 2026, she captured gold medals at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event (at 53 kg) and the Senior Pan-American Championships. Her only loss during that span came in Real American Freestyle to returning world silver medalist Lucia Yepez Guzman. Villaescusa: Villaescusa was also at the Zagreb Open and was a bronze medal winner at 55 kg. That is the only other event she has entered this year, aside from the Open/WTT’s. Prior History In addition to their meeting in the 2026 US Open finals, the pair also met at the 2025 Open. That was in the semifinals and Leydecker prevailed by a thin, 2-1 margin. Both previous meetings have been very close, so there is no reason not to expect the same in Newark. Keys to Victory Leydecker: High percentage offense. In their 2026 Open finals match, Leydecker picked her spots and didn’t go out of her way to overexpose herself offensively. She took two committed shots and finished both for takedowns. At the highest levels, an opening may present itself only once or twice per match, so it’s vital to finish whenever you’re on a leg. If she continues to display a perfect finishing rate, she’ll be difficult to defeat (duh!). Villaescusa: Control the ties. At this year’s Open finals, Leydecker was imposing her will during the handfight and kept tying up Villaescusa’s fingers to the point where Villaescusa was awarded a point for a caution. It certainly frustrated Villaescusa’s corner and probably wore on her, as well. She’ll need to find a solution to avoid those situations and get to her own offense. I suppose the other option is to try and make the finger ties obvious for the official; those that happened to an extent at the Open and it only resulted in one point for Villaescusa.

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2026 Final X Preview: 55 kg WFS Everest Leydecker vs. Areana Villaescusa

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