ACT Esports drop tight opener against Malaysia’s Alpha Gaming

ACT Esports drop tight opener against Malaysia’s Alpha Gaming

RIYADH – A.C.T. Esports Club push Alpha Gaming to the limit but fall short as they open their Honor of Kings World Cup 2025 campaign with a 2-1 loss on Tuesday.

The Philippine Kings League squad, making their international debut, show flashes of brilliance against the seasoned Malaysian side but ultimately drop to the lower bracket.

Alpha Gaming take Game 1 behind the efforts of Wen Bing “JD” Tse, who leads the charge with five kills and four assists on the Loong. Yong Rui “pHy” Lim’s Nuwa provides the setup with 12 assists and three kills across a grueling 19-minute match. Despite Ittiphat “Flukeyo” Rawangkan’s strong showing on Augran with eight kills, A.C.T. can’t find the closer.

Flukeyo answers back in Game 2. His Jing spearheads a 15-minute comeback with a 5/1/6 performance, while Austin “Nitsua” Arroyo’s Yuhuan delivers four kills and 10 assists, including a crucial late-game teamfight that turns the tide in ACT’s favor.

But the decider swings hard back to the Malaysians. Alpha Gaming dominate Game 3 with a lopsided 12-1 win, shutting down ACT’s momentum. pHy’s Shi sets the pace with eight assists and a kill, while Fang “YuLong” Longhui adds five kills and five assists to complete the rout.

ACT’s Nitsua and John Christian “JC1” Binagay struggle to keep up, each falling four times in the deciding match.

With the loss, A.C.T. Esports drop to the lower bracket and will now face Korea’s Nongshim RedForce in a do-or-die match to keep their Last Chance Stage hopes alive.