kt Rolster's 'Uta' Lee Ji-hwan won the 2026 FSL Summer Grand Finals held at the Jamsil DN Colosseum on September 6. Starting from the Finals Qualifier against T1's 'Navy' Kim Yu-min, 'Uta' fought through a hard-fought series before defeating 'Navy' 3-1 to advance to the Grand Finals. He then overcame BNK FearX's 'Light' Kim Seon-jae, who was waiting in the final, with a set score of 4-2, bringing kt Rolster its first trophy in two years.
Below is the interview with kt Rolster's 'Uta' Lee Ji-hwan, champion of 2026 FSL Summer.
Q. How do you feel about winning the championship?
Since I came in preparing for the Finals Qualifier against 'Navy' rather than the Grand Finals right away, I'm still a bit dazed, but it feels great.
Q. How did you prepare for the matches?
I approached Set 1 as a warm-up while Coach 'Elvin' gave me continuous advice from the side, which helped immensely. Against 'Navy', I thought he was a player who excels at dribbling and skill moves, so I prepared for that. Since he ran a two-striker formation without an attacking midfielder (CAM), I felt I could break through by maintaining possession and trying a variety of plays. In the Grand Finals, I believed that even if I conceded a goal, I could catch up if I stayed focused on playing my own game.
Q. What can you tell us about today's draft?
Since it was the first draft and the player pool was reset, I aimed to secure the South Korea team color squad first. Coach 'Elvin' advised me to watch what the opponent picked and go for Real Madrid if possible.
Q. It seemed Set 2 was crucial in your match against 'Navy'.
It would have been great to win Set 1 as well, but I used it to figure out my tactical direction.
Q. You faced a bit of a crisis near the end. You must have been very nervous.
'JM', who has a lot of experience, gave me plenty of advice on that front, so it wasn't a big issue.
Q. You shouted in joy the moment you won the championship.
This is my first time reaching the finals and winning a championship. When I won, a surge of emotion hit me thinking 'I did it,' and I think that's why I shouted.
Q. KT was a powerhouse team in the past. Since the team struggled a bit after the launch of FSL, this championship feels even more meaningful.
When I first joined the team, the veteran players gave me so much help. I wanted to repay them with good results, and I'm happy to have won the championship.
Q. What kind of help did you receive from your teammates?
Ahead of the match against 'Navy', 'JM' and 'TK777' practiced with me using a similar style, which was a huge help.
Q. Compared to when you finished 3rd last year, how much do you feel you have improved?
I definitely feel that both my defense and offense have improved compared to before. I think I've grown about 20% compared to back then.
Q. Now you have FTB matches coming up.
I feel I've grown a lot while competing in FSL. Thanks to my FSL performance, I'm ranked near the top, but I haven't played in international tournaments yet, so I really want to experience that.
Q. Any final words?
My family has supported me immensely since my amateur days. I am truly grateful, and I also want to express my thanks to Coach 'Elvin' and 'JM'. Also, the fans gave me so much support—thank you, and I want to repay you with even better results. There haven't been back-to-back champions since FSL started; while it would be great if I could achieve it, I'll approach it with as little pressure as possible.
