Dane Reynolds and Sebastien Zietz light day 1 of Billabong Pipe Masters with stunning performances
America’s Dane Reynolds and Hawaii’s Sebastien Zietz emerged triumphant in their respective Round 1 heats at the Billabong Pipe Masters that kicked off at the Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday, December 8, 2012.
Reynolds took a convincing victory over Hawaii’s Granger Larsen in the 11th heat to comfortably make his way through into the second round, eliminating his rival from the event in the process.
The 12th heat saw Ireland’s Glenn Hall failing to hold his own against Zietz, consequently sending his rival into the next round.
Being the final event on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour and 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the Billabong Pipe Masters could easily and correctly be considered as the biggest surfing event of the year.
With plenty to gain and lose at the on-going event at Pipeline, the top surfers from around the globe had pulled up their shorts to deliver solid performances with the hope of registering a win early on.
The pumping six-to-eight foot waves prevailing at the primary event site on the opening day of the competition set up an ideal stage for a series of thrilling battles.
The 11th heat pitted Reynolds against Larsen in a one-on-one battle for the Round 2 spot.
It turned out to be a pretty one-sided affair, with the American surfer claiming a comprehensive victory after registering a heat-total of 11.34 points with the help of a couple of waves in the five-point range, while Larsen only managed to get to a two-wave total of 3.10 points.
The next heat saw Zietz, current frontrunner for the Vans Triple Crown, getting the better of Hall in a man-on-man battle for a Round 2 spot.
“I guess the thing that stuck out most in my mind in that heat was my wipeout,” Zietz said. “The thing just mowed me down. I found a couple of open ones in the end, so thank you Pipeline. I’m honored to put my names up there with the other guys that have won Haleiwa. I’ve never done well at Sunset, so making the final was a dream come true. I need to make a few more heats at Pipe and we’ll see what happens.”
The Hawaiian surfer put on an impressive performance to exert pressure on his rival, an event wildcard, from the start.
Posting a 7.67 and 6.60 on the score-board off his best-two waves, Zietz finished with a heat-total of 14.27 points.
The 31-year-old Hall only managed to get to a two-wave total of 10.77 after scoring a 6.27 and 4.50 off his two business-waves. As a result, he was forced to surrender victory to Zietz, getting eliminated in the process.
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