The Breakers, a newly formed PBA team league side, caused an immediate upset Saturday, sweeping established contender Huons 4-0 in their debut match.
On the opening day of the "Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League Gwangmyeong Tour 2026-2027," held at Gwangmyeong Citizens Gymnasium in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, the Breakers claimed a clean 4-0 set victory.
The Breakers are a PBA-operated franchise. The team's eight-player roster — Lee Seung-jin, Oh Seong-wook, Lee Sang-yong, Antonio Montes (Spain), Im Gyeong-jin, Hida Orie (Japan), Kim Da-hee and Hwang Min-ji — was assembled from players who went undrafted at the end of this season's team league draft.
Their first opponents, Huons, had significantly bolstered their lineup ahead of the season, signing Kang Dong-gung and Ngo Dinh Nai (Vietnam) — key figures from the golden era of SK Rent-a-Car, which disbanded this season — along with Kim Ye-eun and Seo Han-sol. The additions made Huons the heavy favorites going into Saturday's match.
The result, however, told a different story. In the first set, Oh and Montes edged Robinson Morales (Colombia) and Ngo in a tight contest that went 15 innings, winning 11-7 to seize the early momentum. Im and Hida then kept the pressure on in the second set, defeating Kim Se-yeon and Seo 9-5 in 14 innings to push the Breakers ahead 2-0 in sets.
The third set brought a marquee individual showdown between Oh and Kang. Trailing 6-8 heading into the fifth inning, Oh scored four consecutive points to flip the score to 10-8. Kang pulled one back, but Oh responded with a six-point burst in the sixth inning — including two bank shots — to win the set 15-9. Riding that momentum, the Breakers closed out the match in the fourth set as Montes and Kim Da-hee dispatched Kim Hong-min and Kim Ye-eun 9-4 in just four innings, completing the 4-0 sweep.
After the match, team leader Lee Seung-jin said he was delighted with the result. "We wanted to show everyone what kind of team we are, and I'm so glad we could win like this," he said. The Breakers also led in set differential, putting them atop the standings after the tournament's opening day.
In other matches Saturday, defending champions Hana Card defeated Welcome Savings Bank 4-3 in a full-set thriller. Crown Haitai also picked up two points with a 4-3 win over Woori Financial Capital.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
