KNYSNA NEWS – The Knysna eSports Cup got off to an intense, action-packed start last week with just under 600 competitors from across the country taking on other Fortnite players in the qualifying rounds.
Over the six-day qualifying period a total of 594 competitors, including approximately 20 local teams (60 players), took part in the first-ever Knysna eSports Cup.
The top 66 teams from the qualifiers have progressed to the knockout stages this week. The first round of semi-finals was held yesterday, Wednesday 14 July, while the second is being held today, with finals scheduled for Friday 16 July.
Local team SA Phoenix, comprising of three players from Knysna Primary School and Knysna High School, will be representing Knysna in this week's qualifiers. The tournament organisers have been overwhelmed by the support from the South African gaming community, with the qualifiers seeing roughly 600 gamers trying to secure their team a spot each day when only 99 positions were available per day. The tournament also showcased the new untapped talent that lies within the country's Fortnite community.
"The Knysna eSports Cup was a roller-coaster of events, the players really turned the notch up this week in a competitive Fortnite environment," says tournament director, Alex Wrigley of Elite Pro Series.
"Only the best of the best managed to snag their way into the semi-finals where we will be able to witness what exceptional talent we have in South Africa and our neighbouring countries."
Spectators can watch this week's action from the comfort of their homes - both semi-finals and finals will be live-streamed between 14:30 and 17:30. These streams will include all the action from the games from a multitude of players' perspectives. There will also be in-depth analysis of the games and rankings by the hosts, interviews with members of this year's featured team and giveaway prizes from one of South Africa's up-and-coming online gaming hardware stores, TechFox. The links to the streams will be available daily on Facebook (@KnysnaEsportsCup) and Twitter (@KnysnaEsports).
The star member of this year's invited team and one of South Africa's youngest pro players, RoMike2013, and his family will be staying and playing from The Lofts Boutique Hotel in Knysna and will be featured during the live-stream.
The Knysna eSports Cup thanks all of the local participants and the wider gaming community for supporting and bringing this event together successfully.
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