Shigematsu's comeback: from losers' quarters to within reach of the EVO title

In a Top 8 packed with big names, the one who had hearts in mouths was Shigematsu. He fell early to the losers' side and, from there, strung together one of the longest comebacks in recent EVO memory.

Four walls in a row

His route had no shortcuts: first he brushed aside Dogura in losers' quarters, then Craime in the losers' semifinal, and in the Losers Final he saw off KilzYou, who arrived stinging from a Winners Final loss. Four coin-flip sets to reach the Grand Final.

The Dominican wall

What he couldn't get past was the last obstacle. MenaRD was waiting fresh from winners and denied him the reset: he closed the Grand Final and left Shigematsu with a runner-up finish that, for the journey alone, is worth almost as much as a trophy.

Why we'll remember it

Losers-side runs are the acid test of competitive nerve: every game is your last if you slip. Shigematsu held that pressure round after round and authored the tournament's human story. His matches are in the finder to relive the whole climb.