Crown Haitai survive reverse-sweep scare to lead Round 4

Crown Haitai scraped through a nerve-wracking victory to take the lead in Round 4 of the PBA Team League.

On the second day of the Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League 2026-2027 Round 4 at Kintex PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday, Crown Haitai defeated NH NongHyup Card in a full-set contest. The win extended Crown Haitai's winning streak to three — including the final match of Round 3 — giving the team 5 points (two wins) and sole possession of first place.

Crown Haitai controlled the early going. In the first set, David Martinez (Spain) and Kim Im-kwon defeated the "Vietnam duo" of Ma Minh Cam and Dao Van Ly 11-7 in eight innings to seize the initiative. In the second set, Im Jeong-suk and Baek Min-ju achieved a Perfect Cue — scoring all points in a single inning — against Kim Bo-mi and Kim Min-a, pushing the set score to 2-0. Martinez then completed a dominant 15-5 win over Jo Jae-ho in eight innings in the third set, leaving Crown Haitai just one set from victory.

NH NongHyup Card hit back hard, however. Jo Jae-ho and Kim Bo-mi dismantled No Byeong-chan and Baek Min-ju 9-2 in eight innings in the fourth set. Oh Tae-jun then beat Kim Jae-geun 11-7 in 13 innings in the fifth, and Jeong Su-bin edged Im Jeong-suk 9-7 in 11 innings in the sixth, forcing a decisive seventh set.

Kim Im-kwon delivered for Crown Haitai in the seventh set, opening with a seven-point high run from the first inning against Dao Van Ly. Dao went scoreless across four consecutive innings, and Kim added one point in the fourth inning before converting the final point in the fifth to close out an 11-0 win in five innings.

Having finished second in both Round 2 and Round 3 and missed out on the trophy each time, Crown Haitai are targeting both the championship and a postseason berth in Round 4. Their Day 3 opponent will be Woori Financial Capital, which also enters on a winning streak after beating the Breakers 4-2 in sets on Sunday. The two sides are level on 5 points with a set ratio of 1.600, but Crown Haitai hold first place on the superior score ratio of 1.211 against Woori Financial Capital's 1.187.

Harim claimed their first win of Round 4 by defeating Hana Card 4-1 in sets. Hi1 Resort and Welcome Savings Bank also recorded their first Round 4 victories, each winning full-set matches against SY and Huons, respectively.