Dane Reynolds and Julian Wilson claim victory in Round 1 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing
The 15th and 16th heat of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing’s round of 96 (Round 1) went down at Huntington Beach in California, America, on Tuesday afternoon, August 2.
America’s Dane Reynolds emerged triumphant in the 15th heat to secure his place in the round of 48 (Round 2). Brazil’s Jesse Mendes extended his life in the event as well by managing to take second place and advancing to the next round. America’s
Tim Reyes finished third, while South Africa’s Shaun Joubert rounded out the fourth position. Both the surfers were eliminated from the competition due to the bottom-two finish.
The 16th heat saw Australia’s Julian Wilson comfortably prevail over his competition to make his way confidently to the next round. America’s Gabe Kling’s second-place finish allowed him to move to the next round as well. Hawaii’s Kai Barger and
Sunny Garcia were eliminated from the competition after finishing in third and fourth place respectively.
The surfing conditions at the event site were indeed challenging. However, the 25-year-old Californian Reynolds made use of his local knowledge of the waves to collect an impressive and decisive 7.6-point wave in the opening minutes of the heat to gain a
psychological advantage over his rivals. He got his second-best wave in the final minutes of the heat, giving him another 6.43 points and raising him to a winning heat-total of 14.10 points.
Mendes put up a remarkable fight and did not allow Reynolds to relax throughout the battle. After earning 6.73 points off his first business-wave, the Brazilian required an additional 7.18 points to claim top slot. However, the best he could manage to earn
was a 6.93-point wave that took him to a heat-total of 13.66 points, leaving him 0.44 points short of victory.
Reyes got off to mediocre start and only managed to earn 4.50 points off his first wave, but later sent the crowd wild with his outstanding 8.17-point wave. However, he still failed to make it to the Round 2 cut after finishing with a two-wave total of 12.67
points. He, along with Joubert who finished last with a heat-total of 8.53 points, was eliminated from the event.
The 22-year-old Wilson, who has been exhibiting exceptional form this season, remained the highlight during the 16th heat. Since the very first minute of the four-man battle, he maintained an upper-hand over his rivals by scoring an impressive
7.17-point wave. He soon caught another juicy wave to unload a string of tricks, earning 7.50 points for the effort. The resultant heat-total of 14.67 points remained unbeatable, eventually carrying him off to victory.
America’s Kling remained the second-most impressive surfer during the heat. After earning 6.00 points off his first wave, he collected 6.73 points off his second to finish with a heat-total of 12.73 points.
Barger finished third with a heat-total of 10.00 points, which included a 4.83 and 5.17-point wave. Garcia evidently failed to read the conditions completely and only managed to earn a combined-total of 6.83 points.
With the conclusion of heat 16, the event organisers called it a day, leaving the surfing action to resume with the 17th heat of round of 96 on Wednesday, i.e. if the conditions permit.
For more updates on Round 1 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, stay tuned to bettor.com.
Tags: