History is made yesterday as a Malaysian finally wins a Street Fighter V Capcom Pro Tour event. IAmChuan finally proved his mettle by winning the Capcom Pro Tour Online Southeast Asia 1, beating fellow compatriot Nekoxx of Flash Vision.
The online tournament saw more than 70 players from Southeast Asia competing, including world class players such as Xian from Singapore. Xian had a good run at Combo Breaker recently, but was knocked in the losers bracket side in the Top 8. Both Chuan and Neko however were on the winners bracket.
Chuan’s first match against The Philiphines’ Don playing Akuma did not go his favour, pushing him down to the losers side. Neko however had a strong run, taking down Thailand-based Brazillian player Cogumerlim and then Don to have spot in the grand finals. Chuan did not stop there, as he blazed through the losers bracket to challenge Don again at the losers finals, taking a convincing 3-0 game.
The grand finals saw the two Malaysians duke it out in a Guile VS Cammy matchup. With Chuan playing Guile, it’s not a favourable matchup for him- he has fallen short due to a Cammy player in various occasions including the Comic Fiesta 2017 tournament. Plus he has a mountain to climb- Chuan needed to win two first-to-three matches to win the Grand Finals whilst Neko needs to win just one.
The grand finals were certainly close. It went 2 to 2 for both players with one round for Chuan to reset the bracket or Neko to win it. It went in favour of Chuan, resetting the bracket for another first-to-three match. Neko cranked the offense quick to win the first game for the finals, but Chuan kept his cool and chip Neko bit by bit, winning the set 3-1.
Congrats IamChuan (@terry5695) for winning Capcom Pro Tour Online Asia!https://t.co/X4KB1QzmBp pic.twitter.com/FvSIw6QTPS
— HiFight(ハイファイト) (@HiFightTH) June 2, 2018
CONGRATS to @terry5695 for winning #CPTO SEA 1 Ranking Event! Also the 1st Malaysian to ever win a #CPT Event! pic.twitter.com/vpr5SECaak
— Capcom Fighters (@CapcomFighters) June 2, 2018
Not only this is the first Malaysian to win a Capcom Pro Tour event, but also a first Malaysian 1-2. This should give signal to the world that the Malaysian Fighting Game Community is getting stronger these days, ready for the world stage.
Chuan was previously playing under Flash Vision throughout 2016-2017. He is now a free agent, but he still remains one of the best Street Fighter V players, if not the best, in Malaysia.