Lee Jae-ho, who secured a Round of 16 seed by reaching the semifinals last season, advanced to the quarterfinals as the top finisher in Group C. Lee won a long TvT battle against Jung Young-jae in his first match, then defeated Cho Il-jang 2-1 in the winners' match to become the first player to qualify for the quarterfinals. Below is the full winner's interview with Lee Jae-ho after taking 1st place in Group C of the Round of 16.
Q. How do you feel about advancing to the quarterfinals in 1st place in Group C?
I feel great advancing in 1st place. I feel like today served as an opportunity to overcome the Zerg matchup that I used to struggle with, and with this confidence, I think I can do even better in the quarterfinals.
Q. Your first match against Jung Young-jae was not easy.
I think disrupting the opponent's gas collection at the 6 o'clock position and in the center went well, and my decision-making was better when our forces crossed paths.
Q. For today's Zerg matchup, you prepared the standard Barracks Double?
In Set 1, I shouldn't have taken damage from Zerglyings, and while defending well was good, I lost because I played overaggressively. From Set 2 onwards, I approached the game with the mindset of not being greedy, while in Set 3, the opponent was the one being greedy. The Barracks Double build is standard, but since I greedily skipped scouting, my timing was probably faster. Also, in the final set, unless the opponent made a first-scout with their Overlord, they wouldn't have been able to confirm my build, so they couldn't rule out a Factory build.
Q. What went well today, and what do you regret?
I think my decision-making during the match against Jung Young-jae was good. My regret is being held off by Lurkers in Set 1 due to an overaggressive Marine and Medic attack.
Q. You advanced to the quarterfinals in 1st place. Now there's a chance you might meet Jaedong?
It feels like we've been meeting constantly in recent tournaments. If we meet again, that'll be fun in its own right. He's always a tough player to face, so if we meet, it should be an entertaining match.
Q. Any final words?
I'd like to thank Park Joon-oh, Lee Young-woong, and Yoo Seung-gon for helping me practice. Fans were worried during the group selection ceremony, saying I made bad picks. I was worried too, so I'm really happy to advance in 1st place. I will prepare well for the quarterfinals and try to make it to the semifinals.
