THE UST Teletigers Esports Club (UST TGR) made its mark after securing nine wins in the opening of the inaugural UAAP esports tournament at the Areté in Ateneo de Manila University.
In dominant fashion, the Teletigers’ VALORANT and NBA2K teams did not drop a single game in their much-anticipated UAAP debut on Aug. 13, Tuesday.
The UST TGR VALORANT team went 2-0 in the best-of-two series against the UE Zenith Warriors.
Meanwhile, the NBA2K team was separated into two groups. Group A handled their brackets convincingly with a 4-0 record, while Group B had a clean 3-0 slate.
Balanced effort
The UST TGR pounded the Zenith Warriors, 13-6, 13-9, in round one of the VALORANT group stage.
Team captain John Matthew “Mattheee” Cuaresma was named MVP in both matches using duelist Jett, collecting 20 kills each in both games.
“The series itself was slightly satisfying [because] there were errors, but it was balanced by our effort,” Cuaresma told The Flame.
With Haven as the first map, UST lost the first two rounds but clapped back with a three-round lead after consecutive rush attacks, 6-3.
After a tactical timeout, UE retaliated two rounds in a row as James Lucky Cajucom’s smoke maneuver clutched up for a defuse to end the first half, 7-5.
The Teletigers steamrolled in the second half, losing only one round on the defending side. Cuaresma’s sniper rifle shots forked two warriors.
The last round of Haven saw UE desperately pushing B site with Jewell Sisor leading, but UST TGR’s Damien Santos barred the opposing team by using Breach’s “rolling thunder” to cap the first game, 13-6.
The second match had a different map but saw the same fate for the UST TGR, which lost during the first two rounds.
In the third round, UST punished the overpush of UE’s substitution Canuto Jeremiah Santiallas, giving the Teletigers a 9-2 advantage.
Down big in the first half, UE crawled its way back for four consecutive rounds after a tactical timeout, 12-9. However, Cuaresma equipped an operator on the attacking side as UST TGR spent all its ultimates to close off the match, 13-9.
On lockdown
In the NBA2K tournament, both the A and B groups of UST TGR swept the competition, 4-0 and 3-0, respectively.
“I was not surprised because I know what they [are] capable of… They played great today, but I know they can play better,” Teletigers manager Miguel Carlo Hubillar told The Flame.
Eryx delos Reyes of Group A made easy work of DLSU Viridus Arcus Esports (54-47), Ateneo Blue Eagles (52-47), FEU Tamaraw Esports (65-44) and the NU Bulldogs (72-34).
Meanwhile, Gideon del Val of Group B took dubs from the Blue Eagles (46-44) and the UP Fighting Maroons (54-46). Daemiel Argame then took down the Adamson Soaring Falcons (56-33).
“We will pour our blood sweat and tears from start to finish. We want to bring the korona to [E]spaña,” Hubillar said.
The NBA 2k team will battle in another set of seven games on Aug. 14, three games for group A and four for group B. The VALORANT team will face the Fighting Maroons on the same date.
The entire Esports tournament will run until Aug. 21 at the same venue. F
