Patrick ‘PatMen’ Mendoza and Xavier ‘xavi8k’ Juan. Photo by Colin Young-Wolff, Riot Games
Global Esports kicked off their VALORANT Champions Shanghai run with a tough loss, falling 2-1 to Team Vitality in their group stage opener.
Vitality claimed the first map on Abyss with a close 13-10 victory, despite a strong second-half rally from Global Esports.
Global Esports struck back on Ascent, dominating the second half after a solid start to secure a 13-9 map win and even the series.
The decider map on Summit went down to the wire, but Vitality took control in the final rounds to seal the series with a 13-11 scoreline.
The match marked the second Champions appearance for Filipino player Patrick ‘PatMen’ Mendoza and the tournament debut for Xavier ‘xavi8k’ Juan.
Now facing elimination with zero margin for error, Global Esports will fight for their tournament lives on September 30 against the loser of LOUD versus EDward Gaming.