Rain greeted athletes and spectators during the morning session, creating an additional challenge in the sand, before conditions improved and the sun emerged as the opening day reached its climax.

The host nation, Georgia, and Ukraine arrived with the largest squads in Batumi, each fielding 12 athletes — the most Georgia has ever sent to an event — as they looked to continue their dominance of the World Series circuit.

Ukraine set the tone in the women's divisions. In the 50 kg category, Viktoriia Slobodeniuk secured victories over her compatriot Diana Rysova and Argentina's Claudia Cabrera. She finished both bouts with three-point throws, putting her in a strong position. Romania's Ana Rotaru, winner of the previous event, also defeated Cabrera with a three-point throw, but then lost 1–0 to Rysova.

The 60 kg division remained as unpredictable as ever. Anastasiya Kravchenko suffered another setback when the 29-year-old Ukrainian lost to Spain's Lydia Pérez, but responded with a commanding 3–0 victory over Slovenia's Mihaela Ciric. In their opening contest, Poreč finalists Sofiia Kushnir and Oksana Moskalova, both from Ukraine, met, with Kushnir edging a 1-0 victory. Moskalova then bounced back to defeat Spain's Victoria Baez.

In the 70 kg category, Olena Nikitinska (UKR) maintained her impressive form from Croatia, achieving three-point finishes against both Sara Trbulin (SLO) and Masa Perovic (SRB). Her fellow Ukrainian, Halyna Oleksiivska, also remained undefeated, achieving two 3–0 victories against the same opponents.

However, only three-time +70 kg champion Eliana Bommarito prevented a clean sweep of the women's divisions. The American defeated both Stefania Zacheila (GRE) and Angelique Gonzalez (FRA) with the same 3–0 scoreline. However, Ukraine’s Mariia Zenkina matched her unbeaten record with narrow 1–0 victories over both opponents.

The men's 70 kg division produced one of the day's biggest talking points. Four-time World Champion and local hero Levan Kelekhsashvili was defeated early on by Iran's Aliakbar Zaroudi, but bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Greece's Ilias Karnavas. Oleksii Boruta of Ukraine maintained his perfect 2026 record by beating Georgia’s Davit Partenadze, then overcoming Rubail Ibrahimli (AZE) 3–0 to stay on course for a third consecutive World Series victory. Ivan Semenov (UKR) also impressed, defeating Quentin Sticker of France and Carlos Álvarez Iglesias of Spain to remain unbeaten.

The 80 kg category was equally dramatic. The host country's own Luka Chkhitunidze, winner of the opening two events this season, lost 1–0 to Iran's Ali Mohammad Gholami, but recovered to defeat Sahib Dadashov (AZE) 2–1 and keep his hopes alive. Vusal Aliyev of Azerbaijan emerged as one of the day's standout performers, recording back-to-back 3–0 victories. Gholami and Daniel Cardenas of the United States also strengthened their medal credentials.

In the 90 kg category, Iran's Amirhossein Kavousi opened with a 3-2 win over Oleksii Yakovchuk (UKR), before securing a 3-0 victory over American Abraham Wojcikiewicz to remain undefeated. Ashraf Ashirov of Azerbaijan also had a perfect day, pinning Georgios Tsaknakis of Greece before narrowly beating France’s Mathis Mayrand 3-2. In Group C, Georgia's Evsem Shvelidze topped the group with victories over fellow Georgian Tornike Tulashvili and Michail Akritidis of Greece, giving the home crowd plenty to celebrate.

The heavyweight division once again featured familiar names. Local favourite Mamuka Kordzaia beat Kyle Ferriter (USA) 3–0, but then lost 1–0 to Iran's Seyedamirreza Sahraeimahali. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Vazha Daiauri maintained his consistent season with consecutive 2–0 victories over Fatih Yasarli (TUR) and Islam Ilyasov (AZE), remaining undefeated.

With the first day complete, Batumi has already delivered shocks, comebacks, and standout performances. Boruta and Daiauri remain firmly on course, while Nikitinska, Bommarito, and the Ukrainian women continue to set the standard.

Georgia's historic first Beach Wrestling World Series event now heads into its decisive day. With medals, ranking points and momentum at stake, Batumi is set to deliver a thrilling finale on the Black Sea coast.