Lehis won five out of six matches in the initial group stage in Genoa and was seeded 18th for the main draw.

In a tense round one match she prevailed at decisive moments over Hungary's Dekany Kinga, securing a 12–8 win, going on to defeat Polish fencer Barbara Brych with a decisive touch in round two.

In the round of 16, Lehis remained ahead in points over Kristina Jasinskaja (neutral flat), eventually winning 14–11, booking her a place in the quarter-finals to face another Pole, Gloria Klughardt, whom she beat by a convincing 15–5 margin.

In the semifinal, Lehis faced reigning world silver medalist and Paris Olympic champion Alberta Santuccio of Italy, in front of a home crowd. Lehis won the opening period 2–1, then the Italian scored two consecutive touches in the second, cheered on by the home crowd, only for Lehis to equalize.

The bout continued tied with double touches for a lengthy time while no clear winner emerged at the end of regular time with things at eight apiece. However, in the one-minute extra time, Lehis held priority, forcing Santuccio on the attack — the Estonian then defended well and secured a 9–8 victory.

This set her up with the encounter with Murtazayeva, who Lehis beat to take Olympic bronze in Tokyo in 2021. Murtazayeva had defeated another Italian, Sara Maria Kowalczyk, to reach the final.

This time round, Murtazayeva had the upper hand, winning the first period 2–0, while Lehis landed her first touch only midway through the second period. In the final third, the Estonian trailed 7–5 at one point, later narrowing to 8–7 and then equalizing with a minute left in regular time. While Lehis had priority in extra time, Murtazayeva landed a hand touch to take a 9–8 victory.

Lehis was European champion in 2018, so added silver to the trophy cabinet this time.

Of other Estonian fencers, two more of the Tokyo gold medal-winning Estonian team joined Lehis in Genoa: Irina Embrich, also reigning European champion, and Julia Beljajeva, while Nelli Differt also made it through the group stage.
Embrich, the 24th seed, had to work hard against Romanian Bianca Benea, but pulled through in the final period to win 15–9. However, in the second round, Embrich lost 9–15 to Sara Maria Kowalczyk, representing Italy.

Two places below Embrich, Beljajeva was eliminated in round two after a 15–13 defeat to Polish fencer Gloria Klughardt.

Nelli Differt, seeded 46th, earned a strong win by defeating Bulgaria's Victoria Velislavova 15–6. She then beat Czech fencer Veronika Bieleszova by the same scoreline only to lose 15–12 in the round of 16 against Olympic champion Giulia Rizzi of Italy.

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