Lehis then advanced to the final but narrowly lost to South Korea's Sera Song.

The tournament started unsteadily for Lehis, who edged past Ukraine's Anna Maskõmenko in a tense first-round match (15:13). She then gained momentum, dispatching Pauline Brunner and Eszter Muhari with identical 15:9 wins before her dominant performance against Differt in the semifinal.

"The first match was absolutely terrible, at least from my perspective," Lehis told ERR. "It was really close, and I missed so many hits. But I calmed down and realized there was nothing to be done about it."

Reflecting on her progress, Lehis described overcoming a difficult period in her career. "Those times were very tough. Now I truly feel like I enjoy fencing again, even when it's difficult," she said. "This result shows that I've come out of the gray fog, and that makes me the happiest."

The Estonian women's team finished fifth overall at the event, narrowly losing to France 26:27 in the quarterfinals. Lehis noted the added pressure the team faced. "We knew we could fence well—we had just done so. But often, that desire creates extra tension and stress," she said.

Lehis famously won bronze in the women's epee at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, and was part of the Estonian team that took gold in the same discipline. However, she was absent from this year's Paris Olympics, reportedly due to a difference of opinion with a coach. Differt represented Estonia as the sole competitor and finished just outside the medals.

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