In Match 2 of the Google Play ASL Season 22 semifinals held at the FreecUP Studio in Daechi-dong, Seoul on October 6, Kim Min-chul defeated Park Sang-hyun 4-2 in a Zerg vs. Zerg matchup to advance to the finals, where Yoo Young-jin awaits. He reaches the final stage three seasons after Season 19, where he claimed four consecutive titles.
Park Sang-hyun got off to a good start by taking set 1 on Backrooms. Early in the game, Kim Min-chul produced a large number of Zerglings and targeted Park Sang-hyun's natural expansion. However, as if expecting it, Park Sang-hyun launched a surprise raid on Kim Min-chul's main base with a small force, dealing significant damage. Afterwards, Park Sang-hyun applied alternating pressure with Zerglings and Mutalisks, inflicting irreversible damage and forcing a surrender.
Park Sang-hyun kept his momentum going in set 2 on Attitude. An unconventional strategy of constructing a Hatchery in a corner of his main base paid off. Rapidly generating Larvae to pull ahead in resources, Park Sang-hyun marched straight into Kim Min-chul's main base before his natural expansion was even completed. Lacking sufficient defensive forces, Kim Min-chul had no choice but to surrender.
Kim Min-chul got a breather in set 3 on Knockout. Park Sang-hyun fell behind in tempo as he was forced to start with three Overlords, and Kim Min-chul kept up the pressure by continuously picking off those Overlords. Park Sang-hyun responded with a risky base-race attempt, but the opponent's forces were already at his natural expansion. Ultimately, Kim Min-chul, having the superior number of remaining Mutalisks, closed out the game.
Having turned the tide, Kim Min-chul won sets 4 and 5 back-to-back, pushing Park Sang-hyun to the brink. Perhaps lingering from the set 3 defeat, Park Sang-hyun's reactions were slightly delayed, and Kim Min-chul did not miss his chances. In set 5 in particular, while both players were expanding aggressively using a 3-Hatchery strategy, Kim Min-chul launched a surprise assault on Park Sang-hyun's natural expansion and, when his opponent failed to hold it, pushed all the way into the main base.
In set 6, Kim Min-chul built a fast Spawning Pool and split his Zerglings into two control groups to enter Park Sang-hyun's natural expansion from two directions. Park Sang-hyun tried to form a defensive wall with Drones, but was caught completely off guard by the additional forces flanking from behind, taking heavy losses. Kim Min-chul continued to whittle Park Sang-hyun down before charging in with a vastly superior army to put an end to the match.
