'Champion' Hanacar Defeated by Woori Financial Capital, Which Takes Sole First Place in Round 1 [PBA Team League]

*This content was translated by AI.

Woori Financial Capital defeated defending champion Hanacar to take sole first place in the PBA Team League Round 1.

On the 10th, at Gwangmyeong Citizens Gymnasium in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Woori Financial Capital secured its fifth consecutive victory by defeating Hanacar with a set score of 4-2 during Day 6 of the "Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League Gwangmyeong-si Tour 2026-2027."

With three additional points, Woori Financial Capital (5 wins, 1 loss, 14 points) moved ahead of second-place Hanacar (5 wins, 1 loss, 12 points) to claim top spot.

As the match featured five consecutive victories by Hanacar and four by Woori Financial Capital, it was a closely contested game. In the first set, Woori Financial Capital's Kang Min-gu and Eom Sang-pil dominated Murat Naji Choklu (Turkey) and Han Ji-seung with an 11-6 (6 innings) score, taking early control. However, in the second set, Hanacar's Kim Ga-young and Kim Jin-a narrowly defeated Srong Piyabi (Cambodia) and Kim Min-young 9-8 (10 innings), leveling the set score at 1-1.

In the third set, Spain's David Sapata defeated Vietnam's Nguyen Quoc Nguyen 15-8 (10 innings), giving Woori Financial Capital the lead again. But in the fourth set, Hanacar's Choklu and Han Seul-gi beat Lee Sang-dae and Jang Ga-yeon 9-5 (5 innings), tying the set score at 2-2.

The fifth set proved to be the turning point. Woori Financial Capital, trailing 0-3 in the third inning against Shin Jeong-joo by Kang Min-gu, scored four consecutive runs across innings 4, 5, and 6 to win 11-6 (5 innings), leaving just one more set needed for victory. Srong, who took over the baton, then defeated Kim Ga-young 9-2 in three innings, sealing the match with a final set score of 4-2 in favor of Woori Financial Capital.

Harim defeated High1 Resort with a set score of 4-2, securing its second consecutive victory and moving to third place with five wins, one loss, and 12 points. Although Harim tied Hanacar in both points and wins, Hanacar (set point differential: 1.467) ranked second ahead of Harim (set point differential: 1.278).

Harim started cautiously after losing the first two sets, but Kim Jun-tae defeated Rott Pheneat (Turkey) 15-12 (9 innings) in the third set, and Im Wan-seop and Jeong Bo-yun secured a decisive 9-0 (3 innings) victory over Eddie Levens (Belgium) and Jeon Ji-woo in the fourth set, restoring balance. In the fifth set, Kim Young-won defeated Im Sung-gyun 11-4 (3 innings), and Park Jung-hyun beat Lee Mi-rae 9-7 (6 innings) in the sixth set to close out the match.

After starting with three consecutive losses early in Round 1, Hyo-ons defeated "tough opponent" NH Nonghyup Card with a set score of 4-3, achieving three straight wins. Leading 3-1 in sets after winning the doubles matches, Hyo-ons lost both the fifth and sixth sets to NH Nonghyup Card, bringing the score to 3-3. However, substitute player Kim Hong-min defeated Oh Tae-jun 11-4 (3 innings) in the seventh set, leading his team to three consecutive victories.

ESWY secured a decisive 4-0 victory over Breakers, ending their two-game losing streak. ESWY saw Burak Hashashi (Turkey) perform in the first and third sets, while Han Ji-eun contributed in the second and fourth sets, helping the team break its losing run. Breakers recorded five consecutive losses.

Welcome Savings Bank defeated Crown Haetae after a full seven-set match to end their five-game losing streak and secure their first win of the season. Trailing 1-3 in sets with defeat looming, Daniel Sanchez (Spain) achieved a perfect queue (scoring on every attempt in one inning) in the fifth set, shifting momentum. In the sixth set, Choi Hye-mi led with seven runs in a high run and defeated Im Jeong-sook 9-6 (9 innings) to take the lead. In the seventh set, Kim Jong-won beat Kim Nam-su 11-7 (5 innings), finally achieving Welcome Savings Bank's long-awaited first win of the season.

On Day 7 of the tournament, November 11th, matches will begin at 12:00 PM with NH Nonghyup Card vs. Harim. At 3:00 PM, Crown Haetae vs. Breakers and Hyo-ons vs. Hanacar will be played simultaneously. Later, at 6:00 PM, High1 Resort vs. Welcome Savings Bank will take place, followed by ESWY vs. Woori Financial Capital at 9:00 PM. Starting this season, the winning team of each round will receive a prize of 10 million won.

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*This content was translated by AI.