MANILA, Philippines – Filipino esports standout Alexandre “AK” Laverez scored his first major title in Tekken after ruling the Combo Breaker in Illinois, United States, on Monday, May 27, Manila time.

AK nailed a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Pakistani star Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique in the grand finals to complete his dream run in the tournament that serves as part of the 2024 Tekken World Tour.

Flaunting his mastery of Shaheen, AK overcame a 1-2 deficit in the best-of-five finale as he finally took down Arslan Ash, the reigning Tekken World Tour champion.

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Before his breakthrough victory in Combo Breaker, AK finished second to Arslan Ash in the 2019 EVO Japan then lost again to the Pakistani in the 2022 ONE Esports FIGHT! Tokyo Invitational to land at fifth-to-sixth places.

AK also redeemed himself from a pair of runner-up finishes in the past year, including the IESF World Esports Championships in October and the Tekken World Tour Finals Last Chance Qualifiers in January.

With the triumph, the 23-year-old AK pocketed nearly $9,400 (over P540,000).

He also gained 560 points as he sits at third place in the Tekken World Tour rankings with 860 points behind Japan’s Yuta “Chikurin” Take (1,135 points) and Marquis “Shadow” Jordan (895 points).

Pakistan’s Muhammad “Farzeen” Farzeen, whom AK beat in the winners finals, placed third in Combo Breaker. – Rappler.com