Jo Il-jang secured second place in Group B of the Google Play ASL Season 21 Round of 16, held at Freec Up Studio in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on the 14th. Although Jo narrowly lost to Jang Yoon-cheol in the winner's match, he defeated fellow Protoss player Jung Yoon-jong 2-1 in the final match to advance.

In the first set of the loser's match, Jung Yoon-jong disrupted Lim Jin-mook early on with a gas rush and a forward gateway on Match Point. Lim suffered significant damage from Jung's zealot rush, making the game extremely difficult, and Jung secured a quick victory in the first set.

In the second set, Lim Jin-mook opted for a faster factory build rather than a triple command center after taking his natural expansion, preparing for an all-in push. Jung Yoon-jong played it safe, responding with observers and dragoons, stalling for time with reavers while continuously producing units. When Lim moved out with his gathered forces, Jung easily suppressed the Terran army. Lim struggled to hold on and regroup his forces.

However, the resource gap between the two players was immense; although Jung made a mistake and lost some units mid-game, he quickly maxed out his supply to 200 again.

In the final match, Jung Yoon-jong gained an advantage at the 12 o'clock expansion through zealot and dark templar harassment, but he overextended and suffered losses in return. Jo Il-jang seized the momentum with hydralisks followed by mutalisks, successfully sniping Jung's high templars before winning the game with a mass of hydralisks.

In the second set, after a standard early game, Jung Yoon-jong continuously built corsairs from a single starport, while Jo Il-jang secretly massed mutalisks and scourges. Although Jung was slightly shaken after losing several corsairs, he dominated the late-game operations to tie the series 1-1. In the third set, Jo Il-jang secured his expansions smoothly and defeated Jung through superior hydralisk and mutalisk control, punching his ticket to the quarterfinals.