Buckle up for some seriously epic table tennis and Dota 2 action!

PGL Arlington

Calling all Dota 2 fans! Get ready to rumble as the second major of the latest Dota Pro Circuit season gets underway this Friday, ushering in 10 days of truly epic esports action. With a $500,000 grand prize, as well as a healthy chunk of DPC points up for grabs in Arlington, you can bet your bottom dollar that some of esports’ biggest names will be going hell for leather in their quest for victory.

As if that’s not exciting enough, there’s also been a slight chance of format in the play-off stage this time around, with the introduction of a best-of-three double-elimination format. The only exception to this rule is the grand final itself, which will see the finalists duke it out in a best-of-five match that will no doubt have us all on their edge of our seats.

And the drama doesn’t stop there as it’s going to be stand-in central for quite a few of the teams competing here, as unsuccessful applications for US visas have forced quite a few teams back to the drawing board. Perhaps the most drastic example is Xtreme Gaming, who’ve been forced to pull out of this competition entirely due to several failed visa applications. 

However, they’re not the only team having to resort to plan B with the likes of Fnatic, RNG, Entity and Talon Esports also having to draft in reinforcements due to absences. The absences could prove particularly costly for Fnatic, who will be missing 3 players, as their grip on a direct invite to this year’s The International is far from secure.

When it comes to favourites, it’s hard to look past PSG.LGD. Much like their footballing namesakes, these Chinese esports powerhouses’ domination of their domestic DPC division is an absolute marvel to behold. What’s more, they’ve also recently shown what they're capable of on the international stage by bagging first place and a cool $1.5 million in the Riyadh Masters 2022. With this in mind, PSG.LGD will no doubt be eager to continue such winning momentum as they seek to make this year where they finally win TI.

That being said, fighting off the competition will be no walk in the park for PSG.LGD, especially with the titans such as OG in the running for silverware. With a winning combination of youth and experience, the OG crew are one outfit that most teams will want to avoid at all costs. Moreover, they know what it takes to win, picking up back-to-back The International titles in 2018 and 2019, and channelled the spirit of these epic triumphs in sensational fashion at this year’s first major in Stockholm, where they went on a truly sensational run to claim the grand prize.

Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure, this is one tournament that isn’t going to be short of thrills!

WTT Contender Tunis 2022
Here we go again! Get ready for some top-quality table tennis as the World Table Tennis (WTT) returns in North Africa from 1-6 August as Salle Omnisport de Rades in Tunisia plays host to WTT Contender Tunis 2022. 

With one of the greatest comebacks the sport has ever seen last week, Japanese sensation Tomokazu Harimoto, at 19 years of age, pulled off an extraordinary title win at the WTT Champions event in Budapest, coming from 3-0 down to astonishingly beat Lin Gaoyuan 4-3 in the final. He’s back in action here in Tunisia, can he repeat his antics and lift the trophy? 

Left heartbroken by his bruising defeat, China’s Lin Gaoyuan is hoping to bounce back quickly. Looking at all the competition, if Lin can overcome his mental barrier that made him throw away the final in Budapest, he is likely to win this tournament. However, this begs the question: is his mind strong enough to cope with the pressure? Only time will tell!

Some strong contenders make up the rest of the top seeds in the Men’s Singles. Seed #4 Chuang Chih-Yuan managed to reach the final 4 in the WTT Champions, beating world number 3 Liang Jingkun! So, he’s certainly got something up his sleeve! Number #5 seed Kristian Karlsson managed to upset the winner of the WTT Star Contender Budapest, Wang Chuqin, at the last tournament, which was probably the win of his career! Can he bring that magic to Tunisia, and pull a top finish out of the hat?

One player to watch out for is Xiang Peng. He is the #8 seed and ranked at 28 in the world. He will not be expected to achieve much at this tournament but disregard him at your peril! He got to the final of the WTT Feeder Budapest last month and at 19 years old is a dangerous, young prospect. At the WTT Contender Zagreb back in June, he wasn’t even seeded in the tournament! Despite this, he smashed his way through the tournament, beating the current world number 16 and world number 4 before losing in the final! He is a real upcoming star, so let’s see if he lights up Tunisia!

In the Women’s Singles, two players who still await their first WTT singles trophy, Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa and the Puerto Ricon trickster Adriana Diaz, lead the charge on the front in Tunisoa. Ishikawa is in high spirits after a strong performance in the WTT Budapest last month secured her return to the World Top 10, while 21-year-old Diaz is back on Tunisian soil one year on from her impressive semi-final finish. Monaco’s Xiaoxin Yang was the player who took Diaz down last time the two met in Tunisia, and Yang features again this time, and is hungry for more. 

Runner-up at the Contender event in Zagreb, Miu Hirano occupies the 4th-seeded position ahead of Brazilian-baller Bruna Takahashi. Last year’s winner in the Novo Mesto competition, Liu Weishan, is seeded 6th, while WTT Contender Doha 2022 champion and Chinese compatriot Fan Siqi makes up the 7th seed. 

With the top 8 players in the world not featuring in Tunisia, all of these players will fancy their chances! Ishikawa and Hirano will be the two main ones to watch out for, although as an outside bet Fan Siqi will bring some fireworks to Tunisia and give some of the higher seeds some very difficult games! Get ready for Turmoil in Tunisia!