T1 and 100 Thieves won 2-1 lower-bracket series at VALORANT Champions Shanghai, eliminating Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce while keeping their own tournament runs alive.

T1 took the first map against Paper Rex, winning Lotus 13-7, before their regional rivals levelled the series with a 13-6 result on Ascent. The decider on Summit then swung sharply: Paper Rex led 9-3 at half-time and won the second-half pistol, but T1 rallied to close the map 13-11.

Initiator Ham “iZu” Woo-Joo led T1 through the final map and was the only player on his team to finish it with a positive KDA, according to Sheep Esports. He was named series MVP, recording a 1.15 rating and 290 average combat score (ACS).

The win keeps T1 in the lower bracket after an elimination match between two Pacific teams. T1’s route into the playoff stage followed a group-stage run that left little room for error, while the Champions Shanghai playoff field has now lost one of its most prominent contenders.

100 Thieves also needed three maps to advance. The North American side won Split 13-5, then lost Sunset 9-13 as Nongshim RedForce forced a decider.

Ascent proved one-sided: 100 Thieves conceded only one round before finishing the map 13-1. Sentinel Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban earned series MVP honours with a 1.41 rating and 253 ACS, as his team stayed alive in the lower bracket.

Both matches were elimination fixtures, so the results removed two teams from the Shanghai playoff field and sent the winners forward.

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