SEA Games: PH Hearthstone bets stumble as esports gets going in

FILE – Team Philippines competes in the eSport event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. INQUIRER PHOTO/ JAM STA ROSA

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippines’ bets for Hearthstone in the inaugural staging of esports in the Southeast Asian games bowed out of contention Thursday night at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Sibol’s lone female athlete, Jia Dee, and Dustin Mangulabnan came up short in the qualification phase of the turn-based PC videogame.

Dee finished with two wins and three losses, the pair of victories coming against Thailand’s Aukit Kittikrairit, and Vietnam’s Hoang Long Nguyen.

“Still thankful to be part of a historic event, and the fact SEA Games has eSports at all is awesome for our community,” she wrote on Twitter.

Mangulabnan, ended his stint with an identical record, tabbing his two triumphs over Singapore’s Khai Kiat Chew and Vietnam’s Hong Phat Le.

Dee fell to Malaysia’s Weng Kean Yew, 2-1, in a made-for-television match that ended her bid.

Mangulabnan was blanked by Thai foe Werit Popan in his final match in Group B.