VALORANT Champions: Singapore's Paper Rex defeat defending champions LOUD to reach upper bracket finals

Singaporean VALORANT powerhouse Paper Rex have come one step closer to the trophy at VALORANT Champions 2023 after they defeated Brazilian defending champions LOUD, 2-1, in the upper bracket semifinals on Saturday (20 August).

Paper Rex has been tearing through the competition in VALORANT Champions, finishing the Group Stage as the top seed of Group A after sweeping through sweeping through Latin America's KRÜ Esports and China's EDward Gaming.

The Singaporean squad then kicked off their Playoff campaign with another sweep over Turkey's FUT Esports in the upper bracket quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, LOUD earned their spot in the Playoffs as the second seed of Group D then set up their upper bracket semifinals match against Paper Rex by sweeping Europe's Fnatic in the upper bracket quarterfinals.

Game one between Paper Rex and LOUD in Lotus was an absolute slugfest that was decided in overtime. After the Singaporean squad started the map strong by winning three of the first four rounds as the Attacking side, the Brazilians took control and led 7-5 by halftime.

LOUD carried their momentum into the second half and held a commanding 10-6 lead after round 16. However, Paper Rex stormed back into the game and got within 11-10 after round 21. While the Brazilians looked to stabilize by winning round 22, their Singaporean opponents scored the next two rounds to force the game into overtime.

LOUD won the first overtime round but Paper Rex routed them in the next three to complete the 15-13 comeback win in Lotus.

Russian import Ilya "something" Petrov was the difference-maker for Paper Rex in game one, racking up 31 kills and 3 assists, including a game-high 7 first kills, against 20 deaths.

Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie and Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto also played crucial roles in the comeback, recording 20/23/8 and 20/21/9 KDAs, respectively.

Despite their crushing loss in game one, LOUD seemed unfazed as they absolutely dominated Paper Rex in game two at Split. The Brazilians routed their opponents 10-2 in the first half before winning three-straight rounds in the second to take the 13-2 game two win and force the series to a decider.

Game three at Pearl started with LOUD in control with a 5-3 lead as the Defending side by round 8. However, Paper Rex flipped the switch and won the last four rounds of the first half before scoring two more after the side switch to lead 9-5 by round 14.

The Singaporean squad continued cruising and were on the verge of taking the series with a commanding 12-7 lead after round 19. With their backs against the wall, LOUD won the next three rounds and looked to force another overtime. However, Paper Rex methodically closed them out in round 23 to take Pearl, 13-10, and secure the 2-1 series victory.

Jinggg led the way for Paper Rex in the decider with 23 kills and 10 assists against 18 deaths. Something and f0rsakeN pitched in with 18/13/3 and 18/17/6 KDAs while Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee added 16/16/11.

With their victory over LOUD, Paper Rex have guaranteed themselves at least a third place finish and US$250,000 in winnings. They will get the chance to become the first team in the Grand Finals in the upper bracket finals on Friday (25 August), where they will face the winner of the other upper bracket semifinals match between South Korea's DRX and the United States' Evil Geniuses.

Meanwhile, LOUD drop down to the lower bracket quarterfinals, where they will face EDward Gaming on Monday (21 August).

The VALORANT Champions 2023 Playoffs will follow with two phases, the first taking place from 16 to 20 August while the final leg of the tournament will be hosted from 24 to 26 August.

The teams will be fighting for the right to be crowned as this year's VALORANT world champions as well as the lion's share of US$1 million out of the tournament's US$2.25 million prize pool.

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