Asian Games: Sibol’s Karl Gonzalvo advances to Puyo Puyo quarterfinals

Sibol’s Karl Gonzalvo. Handout/PESO

Sibol’s Karl Gonzalvo advanced to the quarterfinals of the Puyo Puyo Champions tournament at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after finishing third in Group A on Thursday at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan.

Gonzalvo endured a rough start against 11-year-old Japanese star Yuki Kurihara, but quickly found his footing in the succeeding games, battling back to finish with a 2-2 record and punch his ticket directly to the quarterfinals.

Following a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Kurihara, the content creator-turned-national athlete, who is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, bounced back with a narrow 3-2 win over Yu Wing Lim of Hong Kong before cruising to a 3-0 victory over Alexandr Pivovarov of Kazakhstan to put himself in contention for the second seed.

However, Gonzalvo, also supported by Smart, Cignal, TV5, and Arena Social, stumbled against South Korea’s Kang Dongshin in his final group-stage match, absorbing a tight 2-3 defeat.

The setback denied him a shot at the second seed, but Gonzalvo held on to third place in Group A to secure a top-eight finish and an outright ticket to the quarterfinals.

Gonzalvo will face the second-ranked player from Pool B in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the same venue.