Chris Davidson emerges triumphant in Round 1 victory at Rip Curl Pro Portugal – 2011 ASP World Tour
The ninth of eleven stops on the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Rip Curl Pro Portugal, continued to deliver a heavy dose of thrilling surfing action at the renowned beach-break of Supertubos in Peniche, Portugal, as South Africa’s Jordy Smith took on Australia’s Chris Davidson and Portugal’s Francisco Alves for a direct place into Round 3.
Despite Smith being a heavy favourite in the heat while Alves enjoying the support of the local crowd, it was Davidson who managed to steal the show through his remarkable performance and eventually walked away with top honours to clinch the Round 3 spot. Smith was forced to settle for second place, while Alves rounded out the third position. The second and third place resulted in their relegation into Round 2.
The South African prodigy, Smith, was expected to make waves at the latest stop of the elite tour, something that he had consistently done nearly every event that he had participated in this year. Despite the likes of America’s Kelly Slater and Australia’s Mick Fanning in contention for the ASP World Title, Smith had managed to grab a major chunk of limelight through his remarkable performances. He had hardly failed to give his competitors a run for their money at the six stops of the ASP World Tour and was looking to continue the momentum in Portugal.
However, he was sent back to the drawing board after failing to live up to the expectation in the fifth heat of Round 5. Instead, it was Australia’s Davidson who stole the show through an exhibition of remarkable skills and innovation.
As the fifth heat begun, the 34-year-old Davidson put his experience into play to select a relatively juice wave and utilise it to post a 6.67 on the score-board. He later added an additional 7.93 points into his account, moving to a heat-total of 14.60 points. The score turned out to be a decisive one, carrying the Australian off to victory and putting him directly into the Round 3 line-up.
Smith failed to make much of an impact and only managed to get to a heat-total of 8.90 points, which comprised of a 5.50 and 3.40-point wave. The lacklustre performance moved him into Round 2, where he faced a must-win situation in order to stay alive in the competition.
Alves rounded out the third place after finishing with a heat-total of 7.67 points. He never really found his rhythm during the 30-minute heat and struggled to pull his tricks cleanly. Despite a disappointing performance in Round 1, the local surfer still held an opportunity to get back into the race for the event-title by securing victory in Round 2.
For more updates on Round 1 of Rip Curl Pro Portugal, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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