The country’s national esports team, Sibol, booked a spot in the quarterfinals of Puyo Puyo Champions in the 20th Asian Games after finishing third in Group A Thursday at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan.
Player Karl Gonzalvo recovered from an opening loss to finish the group stage with a 2-2 record, enough to secure a direct berth in the knockout rounds.
The Filipino opened his campaign with a 0-3 defeat to 11-year-old Japanese standout Yuki Kurihara before bouncing back against Hong Kong’s Yu Wing Lim, 3-2.
He followed it up with a 3-0 sweep of Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Pivovarov to secure his place in the quarterfinals with one match remaining.
‘Sobrang saya na nakapasok agad ako sa quarterfinals. Hindi naging madali yung group stage, lalo na ang unang naging kalaban ko ay Japan, isa sa mga powerhouses sa Puyo Puyo. Pero hindi ko hinayaan ang pagkatalong ito na maapektuhan ang mga sumunod kong laban sa Hong Kong at Kazakhstan, kung saan ako ay nagtagumpay at nagarantiyahan ang pagpasok sa quarterfinals,’ said Gonzalvo.
The Filipino rep still had a chance to claim the second seed in Group A but fell short against South Korea’s Kang Dongshin in a tight 2-3 loss in his final match.
Despite the defeat, the close contest against another of the region’s established Puyo Puyo nations gave Gonzalvo confidence heading into the knockout stage.
‘Dikit ang huling laban ko sa Korea. Kahit na natalo ako, nagbigay ito sa akin ng confidence na kaya kong lumaban sa mga powerhouses sa Puyo Puyo,’ he said.
Gonzalvo also pointed to quicker and more aggressive play as areas he needs to work on ahead of the quarterfinals.
‘Base sa mga naging laban ko sa group stage, kailangan kong maging mas agresibo sa aking mga atake at mas mabilis. Bukod rito, kailangan ko ring mas pag-isipan ang aking strategy at mas basahin ang mga galaw ng aking kalaban,’ said Gonzalvo.
He will face the second-ranked player from Pool B in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Aichi Sky Expo.