Sibol's Puyo Puyo player Karl Gonzalvo. PESO/Handout
Sibol's Karl Owen Gonzalvo secured his place in the Puyo Puyo Champions quarterfinals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after putting together two wins in the middle of the group stage to finish among the top three in Group A on Thursday.
He was elated to reach the next phase, although he is wary of his opponents moving on.
“Sobrang saya na nakapasok agad ako sa quarterfinals. Hindi naging madali yung group stage, lalo na ang unang naging kalaban ko ay Japan — isa sa mga powerhouses sa Puyo Puyo,” he said.
READ: Asian Games: Sibol’s Karl Gonzalvo advances to Puyo Puyo quarterfinals
The Filipino representative opened his campaign with a 0-3 loss against Japan’s 11-year old standout Yuki Kurihara before responding with a 3-2 victory over Hong Kong’s Yu Wing Lim.
Gonzalvo then swept Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Pivovarov, 3-0, a result that guaranteed his spot in the knockout stage with one group match still remaining. He ultimately finished third in Group A with a 2-2 record.
Although his final group-stage match ended in a narrow 2-3 defeat to South Korea’s Kang Dongshin, Gonzalvo took confidence from being able to push another established Puyo Puyo nation to a close contest.
“Dikit ang huling laban ko sa Korea. Kahit na natalo ako, nagbigay ito sa akin ng confidence na kaya kong lumaban sa mga powerhouses sa Puyo Puyo,” he added.
With a quarterfinal berth secured, Gonzalvo now shifts his attention to making the necessary adjustments for the knockout stage.
“Base sa mga naging laban ko sa group stage, kailangan kong maging mas agresibo sa aking mga atake at mas mabilis,“ he said. “Bukod rito, kailangan ko ring mas pag-isipan ang aking strategy at mas basahin ang mga galaw ng aking kalaban.”
Gonzalvo will face Thailand's Tanarak Wongkitikun in the quarterfinals on Saturday at the Aichi-Sky expo.