9z just produced the upset of PGL Astana 2026’s opening day. The South American side took down world No. 7 PARIVISION 2-0 in the Swiss stage — Inferno 13-6, Ancient 13-8 — with Luciano ‘luchov’ Herrera carrying with one of the cleanest Bo3 individual performances of the year.
luchov on Inferno: 30 kills, 2.68 rating
The Argentine rifler’s opener was the kind of map that decides series. 30 kills, a 2.68 rating, aggressive rifling that broke PARIVISION’s CT setups before the side could stabilise. 9z stormed to a 10-2 CT half on Inferno and never gave the lead back. Final on the map: 13-6.
Ancient was tighter — but the result was the same
Jame and nota tried to drag PARIVISION back into the series, but 9z controlled key moments. luchov closed the series with 44 kills and a 1.78 overall rating. dgt and HUASOPEEK provided the support that turned PARIVISION’s comeback windows into 9z anti-eco rounds.
What it means
9z move into the 1-0 pool with a marquee win and a date with Falcons next. PARIVISION drop into elimination and now have to navigate Fisher College without the cushion of group-stage momentum. The CIS side were one of the higher-priced sides at the event; the books at 1.35 didn’t see this coming.
