12-07-2025
Paper Rex's Valorant World Cup hopes end in semi-final defeat
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian star Ahmad Khalish Rusyaidee "d4v41" Nordin saw his hopes of reaching a second straight international final with Paper Rex (PRX) dashed after a 2-1 defeat to Fnatic in the Valorant semi-finals at the eSports World Cup in Riyadh on Saturday.
The highly anticipated clash at the Esports Arena, Boulevard Riyadh City, featured two unbeaten teams reigniting their fierce rivalry following PRX's triumph over Fnatic in last month's Masters Grand Final in Toronto — a historic first international title for the team.
This time, however, it was Fnatic's turn to take revenge.
PRX started strong, claiming their map pick Sunset 13-10.
But Fnatic bounced back in emphatic fashion on Ascent, crushing PRX 13-3 to level the series.
With momentum firmly on their side, Fnatic raced to a 9-3 halftime lead in the decider, Split.
Though PRX rallied late to close the gap to 10-8, Fnatic held their nerve to finish the match 13-8 and seal their place in the final.
Despite the loss, Khalish and his teammates still have a chance to finish on the podium.
PRX will take on either Gen.G (South Korea) or Team Heretics (Spain) in the third-place playoff on Sunday.
