Tekken 7 player Alexandre "AK" Laverez of Sibol, the national esports team powered by Smart, brought the Philippines another esports medal despite losing to Thai player Nopparut Hempamorn, 3-2, in the finals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the San Juan Arena on Tuesday.
Laverez's silver medal is the country's fifth overall in the esports competition. His fellow Sibol Tekken 7 athlete Andreij Hosea "Doujin" Albar settled for a bronze after losing to Laverez in the lower bracket finals.
"At first, I was really disappointed in myself because I was really aiming for the gold. Unfortunately, I was only able to get bronze. We [AK and I] were confident that we will be able to take gold and silver, so this is actually a disappointment for us. Nevertheless, I thought we were able to represent the Philippines well. This is also the first time in the Esports event to have two Filipinos win two medals in the same discipline," said Albar.
Laverez was drawn into Group B and dominated all but one, Thailand's Rachawin Tanasoontorngoon. The Filipino's near-flawless record gave him the second seed in the group, opening his playoffs run against the Thailand's Nopparut Hempamorn. Laverez failed to get a win, though, relegating him to the lower bracket.
In the lower bracket, Laverez tore through Malaysian Muhammad Aiman and Tanasoontorngoon, but faced Albar in the finals. The classic match between the two Filipinos went the distance but Laverez inched out the victory to advance to the grand finals.
Meanwhile, Hempamorn topped Group A and tore through the Upper Bracket to secure a grand finals appearance with a twice-to-beat advantage.
Laverez decided to match Hempamorn in an Akuma mirror match in the gold medal match. The Filipino looked more prepared in their second meeting taking the first game against his Thai opponent. Hempamorn fought back with two games to his name and getting match point. Following the loss, Laverez pulled out his Shaheen and managed to push the series to Game 5. Hempamorn refused to let go of his twice-to-beat advantage and closed the series, winning Thailand the gold.
"It was frustrating that we didn't get the gold despite everyone's support. That was a heavy feeling. When I lost [against Hempamorn], I just couldn't hold back the tears. It felt like I let the Philippines down. I wasn't able to do my part in winning the gold for the country and the people," Laverez said after the loss.