Adam Melling and John John Florence step into Round 5 of 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro
Australia’s Adam Melling and Hawaii’s John John Florence made their way into the fifth round (Round of 16) of the 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro after clinching top honours in their respective Round 4 (Round of 24) heats that went down at Margaret River in
Western Australia on Friday, March 23.
Melling made his fellow countryman Mick Fanning bow out to him in the fifth heat, while Florence got the better of Brazil’s Willian Cardoso in the sixth heat to advance through into the next round of the competition.
The clean five-to-six foot waves on offer on Friday served to set up a stage that was expected to feature a series of intense man-on-man battles as the world’s top surfers looked to extend their life in the latest Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
Prime rated event of the season. There were plenty of opportunities for the surfers to post big scores, which in turn kept delivering a heavy dose of thrill and excitement to the fans in attendance at the primary event site.
After failing to take top honours in their Round 3 (no-loser Round of 24) heats, the former two-time ASP World Champion Fanning and his compatriot Melling found themselves facing each other in a battle for survival during the fifth heat of Round 4.
As the man-on-man battle got underway, Fanning got off to a shaky start, scoring a mere 1.07 off his first business-wave. He soon followed it up with a 6.67-point wave, taking his heat-total to 7.74 points.
Melling, on the other hand, conserved his energy as he awaited the arrival of a juicy set of waves. Locking his first business-wave, he unloaded a series of exquisite tricks, scoring an 8.00 on the scoreboard. After another patient wait, he found another
juicy wave, which he utilised to post an 8.20 on the scoreboard, finishing with a heat-total of 16.20 points. The score held up until the end to seal the deal in his favour.
The sixth heat featured a phenomenal performance by Florence as he downed Cardoso to confirm his place in the fifth round.
The Hawaiian sensation may have stumbled in his Round 3 heat, but if there was anyone who looked completely at ease in the big waves on offer, it was him. Scoring an 8.87 and 7.93 off his best-two waves, Florence finished with a winning heat-total of 16.80
points.
Cardoso failed to meet the standard that had been set by his rival during the 30-minute battle and eventually finished with a heat-total of 13.33 points, which included a 6.00 and 7.33-point wave. He was consequently forced to make a premature exit from
the competition.
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