Virtus.pro sign Antares to replace sayuw in Dota 2 lineup

(Photo credit: Virtus.pro)

Virtus.pro announced the addition of Vladislav "Antares" Kertman to their Dota 2 lineup, with Oleg "sayuw" Kalenbet moved to the bench.

"High expectations lie on our Dota 2 players' shoulders, as there are victorious traditions and legacy to uphold, the ones that our club has built over the years," Virtus.pro CEO Nikolai Petrossian said. "Achievements are impossible without changes, and now is the best time to make them. The team has clear goals of qualifying to EWC and TI."

Antares, 21, comes to Virtus.pro after a year with 9Pandas. He has also previously competed for HellRaisers, Team Empire and X3.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old sayuw began his professional Dota 2 career with Gears of Destruction in 2017. He also played for HellRaisers and Team Empire before joining Gambit Esports in 2021. After a stint with One Move in 2022, the Support player signed with Virtus.pro.

Virtus.pro's Dota 2 starting lineup now consists of Antares along with Ilya "Kiritych~", Ulyanov, Ilya "squad1x" Kuvaldin, Evgeniy "Noticed" Ignatenko and Artem "fng" Barshak along with coach Sergey "G" Bragin.

"I can confidently call Oleg a professional who's done a lot for our team," said Alexander "StrangeR" Solomonov, Virtus.pro's head of Dota 2. "I want to specifically point out his contribution to our result at The International 2023. I wish him nothing but success and victories!

Antares is still young, yet he already has a lot of LAN experience. I'm sure he will quickly adapt to the team and our training process, which will positively impact our performances soon enough."

--Field Level Media