RIYADH: Pakistan’s E-sports star Arslan Ash has been eliminated from the first round of the Tekken 8 event of the Esports World Cup here on Wednesday.
The early elimination shocked fans as Arslan Ash, the five-time EVO champion, was the favourite to win the ongoing tournament.
However, the star player lost to Ulsan 2-1 to Ulsan and then suffered a 2-0 loss against JeonDDing.
There are reports indicating that Ash encountered issues with his own arcade stick, which prompted him to borrow a stick from another competitor, Sajawal.
Unfortunately, Arslan Ash struggled to adapt to the borrowed stick, which ultimately resulted in his premature elimination from the Esports World Cup.
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For the unversed, Arslan Ash won his fifth EVO Tekken 8 title last month, defeating compatriot Atif Butt in the Grand Finals in Las Vegas.
Arslan emerged victorious 3-1 in the winner’s final following which Atif locked horns with Japan’s Nobi in the loser’s final and outclassed the latter to 3-0 to set up the Grand Final with the star Pakistan gamer.
Atif started the thrilling Grand Final on a high as he won the first game but Arslan equalised.
Atif then switched to FENG and tied the score at 2-2. In the final round, however, Atif Butt appeared favourite but Arslan Ash landed a perfect hit to clinch his fifth EVO title.
“I’ve done it again, Alhamdulillah, 5th EVO title in the bag, but definitely not my last,” Arslan posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“This win is for Pakistan and everyone out there pushing boundaries! Onward and upward! And to my critics, I’ve still got it, baby! And I’m not done yet,” he added