Image credit: Adela Sznajder/VALORANT Esports
Team SMG live to fight another day after its victory over KRÜ Blaze.
APAC is alive and well as Team SMG Female move on to the lower bracket semifinal after its 2-0 victory over KRÜ Blaze at the VCT Game Changers Championship. Despite getting dropped to the lower bracket at the hands of G2 Gozen, SMG look to be in fine form after an easy dismantling of KRÜ.
SMG will now await the victor between BBL Queens and Team Liquid, who are in the other lower bracket quarter-final series. Unfortunately for KRÜ, they will leave the tournament at fifth/sixth-place that comes with a $25,000 purse. SMG has already secured itself a top-four spot with a shot at lifting the title still within grasp.
The first match of the series showcased SMG's dominance, even when on defence as they pulled an 11-round win streak in the first half of Lotus. This included back-to-back 4Ks in the second and third rounds for Kelly "shirazi" Jaudian and even Camille "Kamiyu" Enriquez chipped in with a 4K of her own in the subsequent round. She would then follow it up with a 3K in the next round to go with her 1v2 clutch while both Odella "enerii" Abraham and Abigail "Kohaibi" Kong got a pair of 3Ks each during the 11-round rout.
However, KRÜ was able to deny them a perfect half as they managed to get one right before the break. But instead of being able to shift the momentum, SMG was able to start the second-half in sharp form by winning the pistol round. KRÜ would take the next two rounds with straight diffuses but it wasn't enough to mount a gargantuan comeback as SMG ended the match on the 16th round.
Game two took place on bind and KRÜ was finally able to do some damage as this time, they managed to take five of the 12 first-half rounds. Despite SMG winning the pistol round, KRÜ bounced back with two quick rounds in succession that included a 4K from Lorena "micaela" Ferreyra. But SMG instantly responded with two rounds of their own as Alexandria "Alexy" Francisco clutched up in a 1v2 scenario in the fifth round to go with a 3K.
KRÜ would not go away as they would once again return with two more rounds in their favour. And this time it was Romina "romi" Álvarez's turn to win a 1v2 clutch to keep the score close. Unfortunately for them, SMG soon took three rounds on the trot as Alexy chipped in with her second 3K of the first-half. Both teams would resume trading rounds until the break that saw SMG take a slender 7-5 lead. And at the start of the second-half, SMG won two more rounds in a row before KRÜ won another two of its own.
With the match still tight at 9-7 in favour of SMG, the APAC squad pulled off four-straight round wins that saw Alexy pick up back-to-back 3Ks while enerii closed out the series with a 1v2 clutch-up as well as a 3K of her own.
