ESL Challenger League S51 Cup 2 Day 1 recap: Sakura defeat FlyQuest RED in thriller
The second cup of ECL Season 51 kicked off last night, with seven matches taking place.
Sakura v. FlyQuest RED was the match of the round, as Sakura were able to take the final two maps—both in overtime—to secure the reverse sweep in a three-map marathon.
The only other match to require all three maps was between LAG and Wanted Goons. LAG fell in the first map but recovered in the next two to stay alive in the upper bracket at ECL.
Sakura 2-1 FlyQuest RED
The series began with FlyQuest RED's Dust2 pick. FLyQuest RED came out hot, taking a 9-3 lead to put Sakura on the ropes. It wasn't until FQR took an 11-3 lead that Sakura started to mount a comeback, but it was too late. FlyQuest RED were able to close out the first map 13-10 and take the lead in the series.
Mirage was Sakura's pick, where both teams were unable to be split at the end of the first half. FlyQuest RED won the first six rounds of the second half to give themselves six opportunities at match point. Sakura embarked on another comeback, this time bringing the score all the way to 12-12. Sakura were finally able to grind out the win in the third overtime, 22-20.
The third map was Ancient, and it was a run of rounds for either team that characterized the first half. Sakura took four of the first five before FQR took the next six in a row to propel themselves to a 7-5 halftime advantage. Sakura had the big streak in the second half, as they took five rounds on the bounce to take an 11-9 lead. FlyQuest RED were able to stabilize and force OT, but it was Sakura who triumphed again after regulation, 16-13.
FlyQuest RED| FlyQuest RED |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vivienne 'BiBiAhn' Quach |
78 - 65 | +13 | 84.7 | 74.5% | 1.19 |
| Lydia 'Fawx' Dalton |
76 - 63 | +13 | 80.6 | 74.5% | 1.11 |
| Vanessa 'vanessa' Gideon |
61 - 55 | +6 | 75.5 | 75.5% | 1.03 |
| Emma 'Emy' Choe |
59 - 62 | -3 | 70.6 | 75.5% | 1.00 |
| Alan 'Shakezullah' Hardeman |
52 - 62 | -10 | 68.9 | 70.2% | 0.97 |
| K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ava 'AVA174' Dunn |
63 - 68 | -5 | 74.0 | 76.6% | 1.11 |
| Alice 'alicerawr' Hewitt |
62 - 56 | +6 | 64.9 | 74.5% | 1.10 |
| Wrenna 'Stx' Trampel |
56 - 65 | -9 | 63.6 | 71.3% | 1.07 |
| Lucy 'empathy' Verkaik |
69 - 68 | +1 | 84.9 | 64.9% | 1.04 |
| Sylvie 'Serendipity' Splaver |
52 - 71 | -19 | 61.2 | 68.1% | 0.82 |
LAG 2-1 Wanted Goons
Wanted Goons' pick of Overpass was the first map in the series. A solid fight from them on their T side helped to secure a 6-6 attacking half. Wanted Goons took control in the second half to win the map 13-8.
LAG chose Dust2 to try and even the series, but it was Wanted Goons who took an 8-4 lead at halftime. A nearly flawless CT side propelled LAG to come back and win the second map 13-9 to force a third and decisive map.
The final map in the series was Ancient. It was nearly a carbon copy to the result of the previous map. Wanted Goons sprinted out to another 8-4 advantage. It was LAG who battled back, this time on the T side, as they once again surrendered just one round in the second half to win 13-9.
LAGWanted Goons| LAG |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin 'Sandman' Saulle |
53 - 44 | +9 | 84.8 | 69.2% | 1.24 |
 Jonathan 'djay' Dallal |
51 - 47 | +4 | 92.7 | 70.8% | 1.22 |
| Kevin 'consti' Yi |
45 - 38 | +7 | 71.8 | 69.2% | 1.16 |
| Kamron 'kmrn' Manii |
38 - 43 | -5 | 63.4 | 66.2% | 0.99 |
| Matthew 'Cryptic' Whitmore |
38 - 50 | -12 | 59.6 | 69.2% | 0.91 |
| Wanted Goons |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan 'killerPandas' Pellegrino |
56 - 39 | +17 | 89.4 | 86.2% | 1.41 |
| Johan 'Johan' Delgado |
49 - 46 | +3 | 83.8 | 72.3% | 1.16 |
| Lucas 'LUKE4k' Mizumoto |
42 - 50 | -8 | 77.2 | 73.8% | 0.93 |
| Kevin 'Magic' Simpson |
38 - 47 | -9 | 68.7 | 72.3% | 0.86 |
| Jacob 'Jbreezy' Xavier Ly |
36 - 45 | -9 | 51.0 | 72.3% | 0.83 |
Here are the other results in ECL Cup 2 Day 1:
-
OverKnight W-FF Mythic -
regain 2-0 F5
-
SportsBetExpert 2-0 Surge
-
Chicken Coop 2-0 Outfit 49
-
Aether 2-0 Reign Above
-
Zomblers 2-0 NuTorious
The action continues tonight, find all the upcoming matches here.
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