Competing at the Minato-ku Sports Centre after Great Britain's Richard kruse won the individual event yesterday, Italy's team of Alessio Foconi, Giorgio Avola and Andrea Cassara saw off their US opponents in a tight contest, 45-43.

Having lost his world number one spot to Kruse yesterday after being knocked out by the US' Race Imboden, Foconi came out first for the Italians and lost to Imboden again 5-3.

Not behind for long, Avola then came out and saw off Alexander Massialas 7-3, before the US regained the lead as Miles Chamley-Watson beat Cassara 7-4.

The Italians then fell further behind as both Avola and Foconi lost again by scores of 5-3, but trailing at that stage by five points, Italy then seized the initiative.

Cassara won the next match 7-5 against Massialas, before Avola got himself a win against Chamley-Watson 6-4.

With the gap down to one Cassara then beat Imboden 7-4 to give Italy the lead, before their victory was sealed as Foconi drew 5-5 with Massialas.

Elsewhere at the Women's Foil World Cup in St-Maur in France, the hosts claimed the team title with victory over Russia in the final.

Despite the result it was the Russians who initially took the lead, as yesterday's individual champion Inna Deriglazova beat two-time world bronze medallist Pauline Ranvier in the first match 5-3.

They remained ahead after the second match, which finished 5-5 between Adelina Zagidullina and Ysaora Thibus, but France did seize the lead in the third when world team silver medallist Anita Blaze beat Larisa Korobeynikova 7-2.

As round two began France moved further ahead when Ranvier beat Zagidullina 5-3 and then Blaze saw off Deriglazova 5-1.

Two victories for Russia through Korobeynikova and Zagidullina saw them begin to claw it back, but France's victory was essentially sealed when Ranvier then beat Korobeynikova 5-3.

That made the score 38-34 to France, with a 5-3 victory for Deriglazova in the last match not enough to stop France winning.

Meanwhile in Doha France’s world champion Yannick Borel and Estonia’s world gold medallist Julia Beljajeva took gold in the men’s and women’s draws respectively, at the FIE Epee Grand Prix.

At the Aspire Dome in Qatar Borel sealed his victory with a 15-4 win over Spain’s Yulien Pereira.

Beljajeva meanwhile claimed her gold with a 15-11 win over Ukraine’s Kseniya Pantelyeyeva.

At the FIE Women’s Sabre World Cup in Salt Lake City in the United States, France claimed both individual and team gold.

Competing at the Salt Palace Convention Centre Cecilia Berder took the individual title with a tense 15-14 win over Hungary’s Anna Marton.

Earlier Berder beat Russia’s two-time world champion Sofya Velikaya 15-7 to make the final.

France then won gold in the team event as well, in another final against Hungary which ended 45-42.