Eight invited players and eight qualified players met yesterday in a first round of ESL Katowice that was highlighted by big upsets.
The matches, broadcast yesterday, saw players like Aleksandr “Kolento” Malsh, Cong “StrifeCro” Shu and James “Firebat” Kostesich fail to make it to the main event in Katowice, Poland. Of the eight invited players to play in the single elimination round of 16, only three won their matches—Jason “Amaz” Chan and the Nihilum pair of Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy and Dima “Rdu” Radu.
The one-day tournament in Katowice will only feature eight players fighting it out for $30,000. But an online round of 16 that has played two weeks in advance allowed the tournament to qualify to award world championship points.
The players who will not be making the trip were eliminated after just one match loss, as a result of the single elimination format of the tournament. This format has come under fire from pro players, annoyed that small mistakes would cost them a trip to Katowice.
One of the players with real potential in the opening round was qualifier player Jon “Orange” Westberg, who defeated Malsh in the round of 16. After qualifying for IEM and the Viagame House Cup, as well as being invited to the Kinguin Pro League, Westberg’s performances will likely see him join a larger team soon.
Image via DreamHack/Flickr
