9z sweep Aurora to open Thunderpick World Championship

9z opened the Thunderpick World Championship with a 2-0 victory over Aurora, handing the VRS’ fifth-ranked team a defeat in the tournament’s first match. Luciano “luchov” Herrera led the series with a 1.61 rating.

The Latin American team took control on its Inferno pick with eight attacking rounds. Aurora reduced the deficit after the side switch, but 9z closed the map in the final round of regulation.

Aurora managed one attacking round on Nuke. 9z held its opponents to that total and completed the sweep.

Luchov finished with 38 kills and 20 deaths, 97.4 average damage per round and an 86.8% KAST rate. Matias “HUASOPEEK” Ibáñez Hernández posted a 1.45 rating after a 31-26 performance. Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo led Aurora with a 1.19 rating.

The win gave 9z 62 points in the VRS ranking. The team entered the match third in the Americas with 1,571 points and is competing for a Stage 2 place at the Major.

The result reversed the teams’ previous meeting in the opening round of ESL Pro League Season 24. Aurora won that match and later finished third at the event. 9z had exited the group stage at its previous four tournaments: the Esports World Cup, BLAST Porto, FPG 3 and ESL Pro League Season 24.

9z reached the playoffs at PGL Astana and the IEM Cologne Major during the first half of 2026, defeating MOUZ, Falcons and Vitality. The team’s latest title came at the summer XSE Pro League.

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