Hyve International wins Honor of Kings Women’s Series 3, delivers PH’s first title

JAKARTA—For the first time ever, the Philippines has topped an Honor of Kings international event—in either the men’s or women’s division.

That breakthrough came courtesy of Hyve International, which dominated the grand stage and swept Malaysia’s AG Global, 2–0, to claim the Honor of Kings Women’s Series 3 title on Saturday at the GBK Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The triumph, however, didn’t come easy for the Filipinas.

Hyve’s journey to the championship was anything but smooth—a rough, winding road that tested the team at every turn.

“Sobrang saya po namin and to be honest, kahit hindi po kami ‘yung matagal nang naglalaro as a team, confident po kami na kakayanin po namin ‘yung AG kasi since we’re Hyve all-star, hindi lang po isa ‘yung star sa amin,” Charize “Joyed7” Doble said.

“Lahat po kami. Sobrang saya po namin kasi AG has been undefeated since the first women.”

Aside from facing a formidable AG squad in the grand finals, Hyve encountered several challenges even before the tournament began.

The team had to compete in the quarterfinals without sleep and without a coach. They revealed that they arrived in Jakarta on the very day of the playoffs, which meant taking on Dominator Esports with little to no rest.

Against the Indonesian club, Hyve was also without their coach, as tactician Homer “Fleur” Matol only joined the team for the semifinals.

Fleur even shared that he had to send his drafting notes to the players remotely, allowing them to navigate the quarterfinals on their own.

But in the end, everything paid off for Hyve.

“Actually ang dami namin naging problems. Nauna sila mag-fly dito and ako after pa ng quarterfinals nila so ayon ‘yung struggles,” Fleur told GMA News Online in an interview.

“I really value this win pero at the same time, kahit na I helped them, I feel like it’s really not mine. It’s their experience. It’s their combined drive. And I don’t want to take it away from them.”

Hyve is also hoping that this victory can change and improve the landscape of HoK in the Philippines, especially in the women’s division.

“Definitely. I think in the women’s, especially in the Philippines, I believe that there are a lot of Filipinos who are very competitive,” Jennilyn “Rogue” Ching added.

“Coming from the Philippines, we all know how competitive the players are and they want to change and grow and get the experience.”

—JKC, GMA Integrated News