Dylan Graves, Tanner Gudauskas and Jesse Mendes prevail in Round 2 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing
The intense 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing action resumed at the Huntington Beach Pier, California, on Thursday, with the remaining heats of the round of 48 (Round 2).
Puerto Rico’s Dylan Graves claimed victory in the fifth heat to advance to the round of 24 (Round 3). America’s Patrick Gudauskas also managed to avoid elimination by clinching second. Puerto Rico’s Brian Toth and Brazil’s Jano Belo rounded out the third
and fourth positions respectively, getting ejected from the event as a result.
The sixth heat saw America’s Tanner Gudauskas and Kelly Slater go through to the next round after finishing in first and second place respectively. Australia’s Josh Kerr and Brazil’s Alejo Muniz failed to make the Round 3 cut due to their bottom-two finish.
Brazil’s Jesse Mendes and Australia’s Adam Melling advanced to the round of 24 after rounding out the top-two positions. America’s Gabe Kling finished in third position, while Australia’s Mick Fanning failed to show up for the heat. Both Kling and Fanning
were removed from the competition.
As the fifth heat kicked off, the 23-year-old Graves wasted no time in asserting his excellent form and putting his rivals under pressure. He finished the heat with a two-wave total of 15.80 points to earn a convincing victory over his rivals and advance
confidently to the next round.
Patrick Gudauskas, winner of the previous Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime event, Mr Price Pro Ballito, failed to keep Graves from walking away with top honours. However, he did manage to extend his life in the competition and earn a spot
in the next round after finishing in runner-up place with a heat-total of 12.53 points.
Toth’s heat-total of 11.73 points put him in third place, while Belo rounded out the bottom-position after finishing with a two-wave total of 11.27 points.
The sixth heat featured a star line-up, with the likes of Tanner Gudauskas, Slater, Kerr and Muniz competing for survival. The 23-year-old Gudauskas threw down a string of spectacular manoeuvres on two juicy waves to finish with a winning heat-total of 16.33
points.
America’s legendary 39-year-old Slater made it through to the next round as well after securing the second position with a heat-total of 13.90 points.
Kerr, along with Muniz who had won the first ASP Prime event of the year, failed to make the Round 3 cut after finishing in bottom-two. While the Australian earned a heat-total of 12.86 points, the Brazilian finished with a two-wave total of 12.50 points.
Mendes and Melling fought a hard and intense battle for top honours during the seventh heat. Both surfers seemed determined and refused to give up till the very last minute. In the end, the Brazilian managed to get his hands on victory after finishing with
a heat-total of 13.77 against his rivals’ 13.47 points. Melling eventually had to settle for runner-up place, though the result was not a complete disappointment for him as he still qualified for the next round.
Kling finished third after earning a heat-total of 11.56 points, consequently getting eliminated from the competition despite exhibiting a promising form during the first round. Australia’s Fanning did not show up for the heat and hence was relegated to
fourth position, which meant that he no longer remained in contention for the event tile.
For more updates on Round 3 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, stay tuned to bettor.com
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