Day 3 of the US Open Wrestling Championships 2026 ended on April 24 at The Expo at World Market Center. The tournament commenced on April 22 and will conclude on April 26.
The third day of the event witnessed a bunch of surprises, as dark horses stepped up to dominate the top-ranked opponents. The opening day of the senior men’s freestyle event witnessed several strong performances and multiple massive upsets. Some of the most shocking upsets that occurred were of No. 1 Jax Forrest against No. 4 Ben Davino.
In addition to this, some of the other wrestlers, including Joshua Barr, David Carr, and more, who were expected to produce stellar performances, fell short of advancing to the freestyle finals. Let’s look at the massive upsets that took place at the US Open Wrestling Championships 2026.
Shocking upsets at the US Open Wrestling Championships 2026
- Jax Forrest faces unexpected loss
Jax Forrest entered as the No. 1 seed and the heavy favorite at the US Open Wrestling Championships, where he was expected to defend his 2025 title in the 133-pound bout. However, things took a turn during the semifinal rounds of the freestyle event. He started on a strong note by defeating Tallon Chambers in the round of 16 by technical fall, 10-0, and advanced to the semifinals.
In the semifinal round, he locked horns with Ben Davino of the Ohio RTC, and the latter dominated the clash, securing a win by 8-4 decision. This shocking loss knocked Forrest out of the race to bag the tournament’s title.
2. Aden Valencia suffers a massive loss
Stanford’s redshirt freshman and reigning NCAA champion Aden Valencia reached the quarterfinals round of the 65kg bout after defeating the world bronze medalist Real Woods. However, what came after wasn’t expected by the fans. In the quarterfinals, he met the high school standout Bo Bassett and engaged in a terrific showdown.
Valencia tried to pull off a major comeback in the clash, overcoming a 9-4 deficit with a feet-to-back takedown to take the lead with only 34 seconds left; however, Bassett recorded a final takedown in the last seconds to claim an 11-10 win.
3. No. 1 David Carr succumbed to No. 9 Cameron Amine
The 74 kg witnessed another massive upset as the top seed and heavy favorite David Carr fell short in front of No. 9 pre-seed Cameron Amine. Even with the massive difference in their ranking, the latter proved his prowess by defeating Carr, shocking the fans. Carr opened his match by securing an 11-0 technical win over Ryder Downey; however, the quarterfinal clash did not pan out as expected after Amine pushed out the top seed from the title race.
Amine led the showdown with a 3-0 at the break, and even though Carr pushed to make a comeback later during the matchup, his opponent claimed a 6-3 victory, advancing to the semifinals.
4. Mason Parris suffers a huge loss in the 125 kg bracket
The top seed, Mason Parris, shocked the wrestling community with his loss against No. 8 Coby Merrill at the US Open Wrestling Championships 2026. After Paris won the Round of 16 against Jacob Bullock by claiming a 10-0 win via technical fall, he squared off with Merrill in the quarterfinals of the 125kg bout. The high school senior dominated the matchup, registering an 8-1 victory by decision.
Parris’ early exit came as a huge shocker, as he had defeated Merrill three times in the six months leading up to the tournament.
5. Joshua Barr’s massive upset against Michael Macchiavello
Entering the US Open Wrestling Championships as the top seed in the 92 kg weight class, Josh Barr was expected to deliver significant performances and claim the 2026 US Open title. However, things look different for him in the semifinal round. The Nittany Lion opened the tournament with a bye, which was followed by two consecutive technical falls.
He first faced Robert Bates in the round of 16, defeating him with a 10-0 technical fall in 1:08. Following this, he went on to best Seth Shumate in the quarterfinals with a 14-4 win in 5:21. With these victories, he progressed to the semifinals, where he locked horns with Michael Macchiavello, who registered a 4-1 victory over the top seed. However, the latter was seen in continuous discomfort from his right knee issue, which he sustained during the first period.
This came as a massive loss as Barr witnessed a highly successful collegiate season where he finished 24-0 and also won the 2026 NCAA Championships in the 197lbs category for Penn State.
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