Spacestation Gaming announced Friday that they have returned to competitive Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by signing 16-year-old R.O.B. main Salvatore “Zomba” DeSena. Zomba’s debut event with the organization, CEO 2022, is going on this weekend.
Spacestation Gaming made their first foray into competitive Smash Ultimate by bringing on David “LeoN” Leon in November of 2019. A few months later in February of 2020, Enrique “Maister” Hernández Solís joined the team. However, Maister left the roster in February of this year, while LeoN departed in May.
Before joining Spacestation Gaming, Zomba had been a part of minor esports organizations like Nevermore International and 16-Bit Esports. This signing will mark the prodigy from New York’s first time competing for a professional esports organization.
✨ LIGHTS 📸 CAMERA 🥊 SMASH
Welcome @SalvatoreZomba to SSG pic.twitter.com/bOVV2e23WR
— Spacestation Gaming (@Spacestation) June 24, 2022
The path to Spacestation Gaming for Zomba
Though he had been a little-known wi-fi warrior in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Zomba quickly began to accrue impressive offline results in Smash Ultimate. He debuted at No. 11 on the New York City power rankings in September of 2019. Zomba also had a strong major showing at Let’s Make Big Moves in January of 2020, where he eliminated Ishiguro “Raito” Tetsuya en route to 17th place.
His biggest rise to national acclaim came during offline tournaments in late 2021. Zomba secured his first major top eight at CEO 2021, defeating the likes of Toriano “Toast” Warren Jr. and Robert “Myran” Herrin on his path to fifth place. Two weeks later, he followed it up with a fourth-place finish at the Smash World Tour Championships, where he beat the likes of Kolawole “Kola” Aideyan, Kengo “KEN” Suzuki, Shuto “Shuton” Moriya, Michael “Riddles” Kim and Luis “Lui$” Oceguera Ramos.
Zomba’s consistency continued into this year. He has reached top eight at four of the six majors he has entered so far this year. With wins over players like William “Glutonny” Belaid and Samuel “Dabuz” Buzby, Zomba is now ranked No. 1 in New York and is among the best players in the United States.
