CJ Hobgood defeat Heitor Alves to move into Volcom Fiji Pro quarter-finals – Surfing News
CJ Hobgood from America put on a phenomenal performance to down Brazil’s Heitor Alves in the fourth heat of Round 5 at Volcom Fiji Pro that continued at the primary event site of Cloudbreak in Tavarua, Fiji, on Sunday, June 10.
With his success in the fifth round, Hobgood advanced through into the quarter-finals, while removing his rival from the contention for the event title at the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour.
After completing the third and fourth round at the alternate event venue of Restaurants, the competition returned to the main venue of Cloudbreak, where four-to-six foot waves promised a series of enthralling battles. The competition field continued to narrow
down to leave only the in-form surfers in contention for the event title. The conditions on hand at the open ocean reef pass were quite demanding, with the winds getting stronger with every passing minute. The most experienced of surfers found themselves struggling
to find rhythm under the circumstances.
The fourth heat of Round 5 saw Hobgood square-off with Alves in a man-on-man battle for the quarter-final spot. Both the surfers had failed to make much of an impact during their respective Round 4 heats and thus got pushed to the edge, with the pressure
of elimination hanging over their heads.
As the battle got underway, Hobgood got off to a solid start, making his determination apparent in the opening minutes of the heat. The American surfer got hold off a juicy left-hander to post a 7.50 on the score-board, consequently grabbing an early lead.
He kept the momentum going to back it up with an impressive 8.07-point ride to reach a combined wave-total of 15.57 points.
Alves, on the other hand, struggled to find rhythm through the course of the battle. He only managed to score a 2.17 off his first business-wave in the opening minutes of the heat. As the heat progressed, the Brazilian surfer continued to look uncomfortable
in the windy conditions. Scoring a 5.33 off his second business-wave, Alves finished with a heat-total of 7.50 points, consequently getting eliminated from the competition.
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