T1 was the only Korean (LCK) team to make it to the semifinals of the 2023 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship (Lold Cup). T1 advanced to the semifinals by beating China’s Linning Gaming in the quarterfinals of the Rolled Cup held at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Sajik-dong, Dongnae-gu, Busan from the 2nd to the 5th.
In the quarterfinals, LPL led the mood with consecutive wins. In the match between North America (LCS) No. 1 seed NRG Esports and LPL No. 4 seed Weibo Gaming on the 2nd, Weibo Gaming won 3-0 and became the first to win a ticket to the semifinals.
LPL continued to be strong in the subsequent match between LCK and LPL. On the 3rd, Gen.G. and Billie Billie Gaming were a close game that lasted until the 5th set. Billibilly Gaming took the first and second sets in a row, but Gen.G. seemed to establish the pride of the LCK No. 1 seed as he caught up with the third and fourth sets. However, he lost to Billy Gaming 2 to 3 due to lack of endurance. KT Rolster’s journey also ended on the 4th. KT, which faced Jingdong Gaming, the No. 1 seed in LPL and the winner of the mid-season Invitational, raised expectations by winning the first set, but suffered a setback by losing three sets.
T1, which emerged as LCK’s only hope as both teams against LPL lost earlier, showed overwhelming performance and kept their pride.
T1, which faced Lingering Gaming on the 5th, shut down its opponent without experiencing a single crisis from the first to the third sets. T1 mid-liner “Faker” Lee Sang-hyuk, who played in the eighth LOL Cup in his 11 years of career, continued his record that he had never been eliminated in the quarterfinals or lower. Lee Sang-hyuk, who won in 2013, 2015 and 2016, continued his milestone by advancing to the semifinals in 2023, following the runner-up in 2017, the semifinals in 2019, the semifinals in 2021, and the runner-up in 2022.
The semi-finals of the Rolled Cup will be held at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan from 5 p.m. on the 11th and 12th. Weibo Gaming and Billibilly Gaming will face off on the 11th, and T1 and Jingdong Gaming will compete for the best of five on the 12th. The two teams that won here will play their final match for the “Cup of Summoners” in the long-awaited final at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 19th.