Estonian player Robin “ropz” Kool shared his thoughts after Vitality's victory over Astralis in the quarterfinals of IEM Chengdu 2025. In an interview with HLTV, he talked about his personal statistics in China, his expectations for the semifinals against MOUZ, and how the team is working to improve its start in tournaments.

On his personal record in China and motivation for Chengdu

In the introduction to the interview, ropz joked that he puts a little “pressure” on his teammates to continue his personal winning streak at Chinese tournaments.

It's true, I told the guys I have a good track record in China. It would have been nice to keep the perfect one, winning Shanghai at the Major with FaZe and being 4/4 with trophies, but now I'm 3/4. It could be 4/5 with this one, so I'm giving the guys a bit of pressure to make sure we get that result (laughs).

Robin “ropz” Kool

Ropz also noted that the team is trying to improve its form after the EPL, as Vitality's goal is to win another trophy before the Major.

The match against Astralis and key mistakes

The player then commented on the series against Astralis, acknowledging that the Danish team played strongly, especially on Nuke.

First of all, I think they're a really good team on Nuke, and we expected a veto like this. In a way, I think they played well, but there were definitely two or three rounds where we made some really silly mistakes, like HooXi killing two through the Main smoke with the Five-SeveN... So yeah, just some mistakes and unfortunate moments, but they also played well and that's the reason they won the map in the end.

Robin “ropz” Kool

Ropz noted that a few minor moments were decisive for the outcome of the second map, but overall the team is satisfied with how they handled the series.

Vitality's “slow starts”

Coach XTQZZZ previously mentioned that Vitality often “slow starts” in tournaments. Ropz commented on this trend, drawing parallels with his experience at FaZe.

I don't really have a direct answer... Compared to where I came from with FaZe, we were known for having slow starts (laughs). So it's nothing special for me in that sense. Coming into Vitality, all year round we've gone directly to the semifinals, all really good group stage results... We're just trying to find all the small percentages we can before the tournament in preparation.

Robin “ropz” Kool

According to the player, the team is trying to improve their preparation for the start of tournaments, because a “hot start” adds confidence for the rest of the matches.

Revenge against MOUZ

In the semifinals of IEM Chengdu 2025, Vitality will face MOUZ, who knocked them out in the group stage. For ropz and his teammates, this is a chance to get revenge.

People are really hungry for revenge. They were not happy about the group stage results three days ago, and we just want to make that right. We were really disappointed in how that match went... This time we just want to do better and make sure we get the win.

Robin “ropz” Kool

The Estonian is determined to continue his successful run in China, where he has already lifted the trophy three times. Vitality are approaching the semifinals with strong motivation, seeking not only revenge against MOUZ, but also the opportunity to prove once again that they are among the main favorites on the world stage.