(MHN Sports Reporter Kwon Soo-yeon) The new members of last season’s last-place Huon’s turned the stage upside down from the opening game. On the other hand, Blue One Resort, which participated in the team sponsorship 먹튀검증 competition, got off to a disappointing start with most of its members falling. Powerhouse Welcome Savings Bank also had a stumbling start.
In the opening event of the Gyeongju Blue One Resort PBA-LPBA Championship, which concluded on the 19th, “Magician” Semi Sei-Giner (Turkiye, Huons), who became the first player in PBA history to win the championship from his debut, and Kim Min-ah (NHK Card), who defeated “Billiard Queen” Kim Ga-young to record two victories.
After finishing at the bottom of the team league in the previous season, Huon’s took out the knife and shed half of its members, signaling the start of good fortune this season. Seigneur lifted the trophy, while late signing Jang Ga-yeon, the youngest member of the team, also proved her mettle as she soared from her debut to the quarterfinals. Given the different balls and tables in the team and individual leagues, it’s likely that the Huons, who adapted to the balls relatively quickly on the individual tour, will do well in the team league.
The team had a number of members reach the upper echelons in the opening event. Seiginer won the title, Jang reached the quarterfinals, Palazon reached the quarterfinals, and Kim made it to the round of 16. Only Jeon Ae-lin and Kim Bong-cheol remained in the round of 32.
Defending champions Welcome Savings Bank and Blue One Resort didn’t fare much better, with the exception of one player. In particular, most of the male members of the team fell in the round of 128, including Wellcome Savings Bank leader Frederick Kudrong, Birole Wimaz (Belgium), and Kim Lim-kwon. Lee Sang-dae (Korea) fared well, finishing as runner-up, but the women’s side saw Higashiuchi (Japan) and Choi Hye-mi (Korea) reach the round of 32 and Kim Ye-eun (Korea) reach the round of 16.
For Blue One Resort, Ace Song (KOR) sent shockwaves through to the round of 32, while Kim Min-young (KOR) made it to the round of 32 and Seo Han-sol (KOR) to the round of 64. On the men’s side, Chan Chapak (Turkiye) was eliminated in the round of 128 and Kang Min-gu (Korea) was eliminated in the round of 32. Zapata (Spain) was the highest-ranked player on the team, reaching the quarterfinals. Captain Uhm Sang-pil was stopped in the round of 16 despite a hard-fought match against Seigneur.
The women were the undisputed aces of the NHL card. Kim Min-ah, the reigning champion, was followed by Kim Bomi, who rarely missed the quarterfinals. 메이저사이트 추천 However, last season’s Grand Prize winner Cho Jae-ho’s quarterfinal finish was the highest for the men, with Kim Hyun-woo (Korea) reaching 128, Ma Minh Cam (Vietnam) 64, Oh Sung-wook (Korea) 32, and “Rookie of the Year” Montes (Spain) stopping at 128.
Newcomers Eswai Group saw “Fourth King” Sanchez (Spain) and Lee Young-hoon slip to the round of 128, while Hwang Deuk-hee reached the round of 32. Han Seul-ki and Han Ji-eun also tasted the bitter taste of first round elimination. Lee Woo-kyung was stopped in the round of 64. Interestingly, Zheng Aing Vu (VN), who took a hiatus from the PBA after slipping in the first round of the original 2019-20 season, returned after a four-year absence and is the team’s best performer this season, reaching the round of 16.
Hanakkad generally fared well among its domestic players, with Kim Ga-young finishing runner-up, Kim Byung-ho reaching the round of 16 and Shin Jeong-ju reaching the quarterfinals, while its foreigners struggled. Murat Nasi Choklu (Turkiye) and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (Vietnam) were both eliminated in the round of 128, while Ayako Sakai (Japan) reached the round of 32.
At Haiwon Resort, most of the players stopped between the rounds of 32 and 128, with the exception of Nguyen Phuong Linh (VN) and Im Rae (VN), who reached the quarterfinals each.
SK Rent-a-Car also didn’t have much success, with captain Kang Dong-gung and Kang Ji-eun only making it to the round of 16, Kondenhuis and Repens (Belgium) reaching the round of 64, and Hida Oriie (Japan) also making it to the round of 64.
Crown Hae-tae needs to rebound. With LPBA members Lim Jung-sook and Baek Min-ju both falling in the round of 64, leader Kim Jae-geun crashed out in the round of 64, Martinez crashed out in the round of 128, Kim Tae-kwan, the “younger brother of Kim Haeng-jik,” crashed out in the round of 128, and Oh Tae-joon, who returned to Team League, stopped at a team-best round of 32.
Among the nine teams, SK Rent-a-Car and Blue One Resort are the only two that have not made any changes to their roster.
The players who had a tough time in their debut or opening rounds will now begin their quenching process in order to advance in the second edition of the tour, which will be held in Ansan in July. The results of the individual tours are not necessarily proportional to the results of the team league. However, in general, players who adapt quickly to the individual tour and perform well are more likely to lead the team league. Especially in the team leagues, players will have to fight harder to make a name for themselves as they are the specialty aces picked and chosen from hundreds of players.
Meanwhile, after the opening round, the PBA-LPBA Tour will continue with the ‘Ansan PBA-LPBA Championship’ on July 2 at the Ansan Sangryoksu Gymnasium. The tournament at the temporary venue, Ilsan Kintex, will begin on July 19 with the third leg of the tour, while the PBA Team League will begin on August 3.