Lee Young-ho defeated Kim Taek-yong in the final match to advance to the quarterfinals. Lee's performance today was formidable. Although he lost his first match to Lee Jae-dong, the level of preparation and psychological warfare he displayed was truly impressive. Having advanced to the quarterfinals as the runner-up of his group, Lee will now face one of the group winners.

The following is the full text of Lee Young-ho's post-match interview.

Q. How do you feel about advancing to the Round of 16 as the group runner-up?

I'm happy to have made it through. I was in a similar situation in the past, and it ended up exactly the same, advancing in second place.

Q. I heard you stopped streaming to focus entirely on your preparation. How did you prepare?

I didn't want to be eliminated in the Round of 16, so I prepared desperately. I lost the first game, but I'm satisfied with my overall performance.

Q. In your first game against Lee Jae-dong, you were edged out in a split-second timing window. Some say your fast triple, double armory, and vessel irradiate play was a bit too greedy.

I had the early build, but Jae-dong prepared well for the subsequent mind games. My judgment there wasn't great, and that's something I need to address. If I hadn't gone for the irradiate, I could have defended, but I couldn't afford to ignore the mutalisks.

Q. After the match against Lee Jae-dong, you seemed to be burning with fighting spirit?

A loss is a loss, and honestly, I hadn't prepared for the Terran vs. Terran match in the losers' bracket. But after winning the first set of the losers' match, I felt I had the upper hand and regained my composure.

Q. You attempted a no-barracks double against Kim Taek-yong as well. A no-barracks double in a Protoss matchup is even more of a gamble than against Zerg. Did you have a complete read on Kim Taek-yong's psychology?

My builds matched up perfectly today, just as I expected. For the second set, I was deciding between a BBS or a no-barracks double, but since the map is favorable for a 'greedy' double, I chose the latter.

Q. Many fans came out to the venue to support you?

It brings back so many memories and feels both nostalgic and fun. This is the reason I played StarCraft in the first place. The only downside is that my arm hurts a lot. I've been playing for 20 years, and I'm working harder now than ever before.

Q. Are you confident you can win the championship?

I think the quarterfinals will be the biggest hurdle. Personally, I find Jang Yun-chul, Park Sang-hyun, and Lee Jae-ho to be the trickiest opponents, and since I advanced in second place, there's a very high chance I'll meet them. Still, I'm confident and will do my best.

Q. Any final words?

I haven't been competing in tournaments lately, but I entered this one to give back to the fans. I'm not sure if this will be my last one, depending on the state of my arm, and I've decided to donate the prize money if I win. I will prepare as hard as I can.

Q. What does the 'Lee-Ssang' rivalry mean to you now?

In the past, I only thought about winning at all costs, but now, I just enjoy the act of playing. Realistically, there won't be many opportunities for us to meet in the future, so I want to face him in a best-of-series again and give the fans a sense of nostalgia.