‘Spanish Rookie’ Antonio Montes (NHCard) saved his team from the brink of a ‘reverse sweep’ with his characteristic composure.
The NHL Card defeated Blue One Resort 4-3 in straight sets on Day 2 of the third round of the Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League 2023-24 at the Goyang Kintex PBA Stadium in Goyang, South Korea on Friday.메이저사이트
After winning the first three sets, the NHCards dropped the next three and were on the verge of an upset. However, in the six-set men’s singles match, Montes defeated Uhm Sang-pil to lift the team to victory.
Up until the third set, it looked like an easy victory for the NHK Card, who had defeated second-round winners Eswai 4-0 the day before. In the first set of the men’s doubles, Cho Jae-ho and Kim Hyun-woo defeated David Zapata (Spain) and Chan Chapak (Turkiye) 11-10 (8 innings).
In the second-set women’s doubles, Kim Min-ah and Kim Bomi defeated Kim Min-young and Seo Hansol 9-5 (9 games), and in the third-set men’s singles, Ma Minh Cam (VN) outlasted Zapata 15-6 in seven games to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
Pushed to the brink, Blue One’s ‘strongest doubles’ Kang Min-koo and Song Piavi (Cambodia) rallied to defeat Oh Sung-wook and Kim Bo-mi 9-8 (9 games) in the fourth-set mixed doubles. Shortly after, Kang Min-koo defeated Cho Jae-ho 11-2 in the fifth-set men’s singles. He swept the match with a nine-point ‘finishing high run’ in three innings. In the sixth set, Piavi used a five-point high run to defeat Kim Min-ah 9-7 (8 games) and level the set at 3-3.
In the seventh and final set, Blue One was led by “Leader” Uhm Sang-pil and NHC was led by Montes, last season’s PBA Rookie of the Year. With the score tied at 6-6 through three innings, Uhm scored three points in the fourth to take a 9-6 lead. However, Montes turned the game around with his characteristic composure. He scored five runs, including a bank shot, to end the game with an 11-9 victory.
The NHK Cards have proven to be a formidable foe this season, going undefeated against Blue One Resort through three rounds. At the same time, they won two straight games in the third round. Blue One Resort, on the other hand, was on the verge of a second straight victory.
Haiwon Resort and Hana Card both won their third round matches in a row, defeating SK Rent-a-Car and Eswai with set scores of 4-1 and 4-2. Crown HaeTae defeated Welcome Savings Bank 4-2 in straight sets thanks to two wins from Lim Jung-sook and Baek Min-ju.
On the third day of the third round, the first match of the day will be between Hewons and SK Rent-a-Car at 11 a.m., followed by Welcome Savings Bank and Eswai at 2 p.m., High One Resort and NH Card at 5 p.m., and Hana Card and Blue One Resort at 8 p.m. Crown HaeTae will have a day off.
Meanwhile, the third round of the PBA Team League, which is being held at the Goyang Kintex PBA Stadium in Goyang City, Gyeonggi-do, will feature a “Cheer Pool Event” for fans visiting the venue. To participate, fans who bring their own cheerleading tools (sketchbook cheer pools) can watch one game per day for free. For more information on how to participate in the event, please visit the PBA website.