The first day of the 64-team Esports World Cup open qualifier came to an end with NADE securing the upset over Eternal Fire in a three-map series, with Samet “jottAAA” Köklü and company becoming the only big name to find themselves in the elimination matches on Saturday.
After the first eight groups played out the first two rounds earlier on Friday, groups 9-16 took to the server for just their openers.
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BC.Game, BIG among first teams through to EWC open qualifier playoffs
Most favorites passed their first test without much difficulty, with the likes of Liquid, NRG, and 100 Thieves — the latter led by Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen’s 2.85-rated performance — all securing comfortable 2-0 victories.
Virtus.pro also beat Sangal 2-0 in what was one of the more even matches on paper, while FOKUS needed overtime to get the better of Partizan on Inferno.
There are a plethora of matches set to be played on Saturday before we reach the playoffs. Standout matches include K27 vs. SINNERS, FOKUS vs. Sashi, and Liquid vs. Metizport, with the entire schedule available here.
